What's Up With All These Acronyms?

IEEs, IEPs, LEAs, SDIs – there are so many acronyms used in education, it can be hard to keep up with what they all mean. For reference; here are what each of those acronyms stand for - Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), Individualized Education Program (IEP), Local Education Agency (LEA), and Specially Designed Instruction (SDI). In this post, we focus on the difference between IEPs and IEEs.

Both documents play important roles in special education. If you are a parent/guardian of a child who receives special education, you are likely familiar with IEPs. You may have had challenging experiences in the past and spent significant time to get your child the supports they need to thrive in school. Perhaps you are still navigating that process, or maybe you are just beginning. If so, it is important to know that advocacy groups and other parents are available to help offer support.

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document that outlines a child’s special education services, supports, and instruction for students with disabilities, or students identified as gifted. The process of developing an IEP begins with an evaluation, which demonstrates a student’s strengths and needs. The evaluation report helps to guide the services and supports included in the IEP. An IEP is like a roadmap that outlines what a student needs in order to make progress, and thrive, in school. Governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), an IEP provides legal protections to students, families, and schools. IEPs require meaningful parent/guardian participation in the decision-making process when determining goals, and other supports included in their child’s individualized plan.

An IEP outlines the services, and modifications, needed for a student to access various parts of the educational program – from speech & language therapy, occupational therapy, 1:1 aide to adapted seating, modified activities, or increased time on tests. A critical component of every IEP is the set of measurable, annual goals – both academic and functional. These goals must be specific, clearly defined, and reasonably achievable within a twelve-month period. They should address a student’s unique needs and may include short-term objectives to monitor progress throughout the school year.

IEPs also specify related services needed for a student to benefit from special education. Some examples include speech & language therapy, occupational therapy, transportation, counseling, orientation & mobility services, and behavior intervention programming. The IEP team determines the type and frequency of each service based on evaluation date. The IEP team must meet at least once a year to review progress, update goals, and address any lack of expected growth or areas of need. Meetings may occur more frequently if requested by parents or if updates/revisions are necessary.

An Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), on the other hand, is an evaluation requested by a parent/guardian who disagrees with their child’s public school evaluation. For example, the disagreement may arise if the school did not identify a disability, if the disability classification is questioned, if tests results are believed to be inaccurate, or if the evaluation was not sufficiently comprehensive. According to IDEIA, CFR (Sec. 300.502), parents have the right to request an IEE at public expense, conducted by a qualified, independent examiner. If the Local Education Agency (LEA) disagrees with the need for an outside evaluation at public expense, they must initiate a due process hearing to defend the adequacy of its evaluation. Families may also obtain an IEE at their own expense at any time.

When an IEE is completed at public expense, the school must receive a copy of the evaluation; and consider its findings and recommendations when determining a student’s educational programming. Typically, schools will integrate the IEE results into an updated evaluation report and use that information to revise the student’s IEP. IEEs provide families with valuable data to negotiate more services, support requests for additional programming, or move forward to exhaust parental procedural safeguards according to IDEA.