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Post by mykids on Oct 14, 2014 10:35:56 GMT -5
When requesting an IEE, do you have to request an IEE for every evaluation you disagree with at the same time. OR can you come back later and request an IEE in a different area tested?
I'm sure that I should request in one area tested but just not sure of the others.
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Post by healthy11 on Oct 14, 2014 16:41:02 GMT -5
I don't have personal first-hand experience with your situation, but I believe you should simply state that you disagree with the school's evaluation without specifying what portion(s), and request an IEE that would allow the independent evaluator to decide which areas to (re)test in all at once.
The new evaluator can't use the exact same test instruments as was just done by the school, but some tests have "A" and "B" formats which can be given as an alternative, and in other cases, there are completely different tests that can be used to provide similar information. (ie, there are many IQ tests...in some situations, you might actually want them to administer a different kind, such as a non-verbal type, versus the WISC which has a strong language component.)
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Post by kewpie on Oct 21, 2014 10:30:15 GMT -5
Always ask for the original workbooks, answer sheets and notes (aka protocols) from the evaluators and look them over carefully. One advocate told me about 40% of the protocols she looks at have errors. You can also keep the info to make sure the next evaluator does not repeat the same tests.
If you are asking for an IEE, do NOT say the evaluator was not qualified or you will open a whole new argument that you do not want to deal with.
You simply want a second opinion with a different set of measurements to make sure you get the whole picture to better serve your child. As Healthy says you do not have to specify as to what you disagree with.
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Post by raina080 on Nov 12, 2014 18:57:27 GMT -5
Why do you disagree with the testing? Regardless, you are allowed one independent eval per year. The independent eval can include whatever assessments you'd like, but you need to request them all as part of your one yearly independent eval. The law uses confusing terminology since it uses the term "evaluation" to refer to the overall test process, while the assessments like speech, learning, IQ, etc. are merely components of the evaluation. Ask for everything you want now, since they can deny future requests up to one year.
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Post by michellea on Nov 13, 2014 9:58:26 GMT -5
Clarification - an IEE is not a "given", although most districts will agree to them. In my state, if you ask for an IEE in an area that has not already been tested, the school district gets an opportunity to test themselves first. It is not quite true to say you get one IEE every year. You can request an IEE anytime a district evaluates and you are not satisfied with their evaluation. The district has a right to deny the IEE and resolve the issue under due process. If DP is filed, the burden of proof is on the parent to prove the district's evaluation is not sufficient.
Once an IEE is completed, the team must "consider" the results. They do not have to agree with the results.
An IEE is a good tool - but it is not a slam dunk by any means.
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Post by mykids on Nov 17, 2014 18:11:37 GMT -5
Michellea - you are absolutely correct. an IEE is not a given. There is really only one of the evaluations that I disagree with. The others may be perfect for all I know. I really don't know. But more importantly, it is what is being done within the school setting to help the student that matters most. You can have the best evaluations and if nothing is done with them, then it is all a waste. If it were as easy as I am allowed one IEE, then I would not be questioning and would just request one, but no it is not that simple.
I have a kid who when tested shows significant deficits in writing. The WIAT-III testing shows Reading Comprehension = 45% Sentence Composition = 1% Word Reading = 37% Essay Composition = <0.1% Pseudo word Decoding = 14% Numerical Operations = 53% Oral Reading Fluency = 0.3% Spelling = 7% Math Fluency-Addition = 19% Math Fluency-Subtraction = 14% Math Fluency-Multiplication 16%
BUT the teacher says his writing is at grade level except for spelling, grammar & editing. So content is good. I guess good content is all you need when writing? Everyone can just figure out the rest when reading his writing? I wish I had a way to show what she considers grade level, because if this truly is grade level then I now understand how our state is ranked 47th. So there currently is no intervention at school and will not be unless he drops a class, rearranges his schedule to meet/accommodate their schedule/time. All the classes he has right now are requirements.
So what good is an IEE if no one is doing anything. The evaluation I disagree with is the AT. This would help him with the crazy spelling, grammar & editing. I think that was my original thought process with the IEE. If they are not or can not, because really, at this point are you going to teach a 16 year old how to spell, where to begin and end a sentence, what words should and should not begin with a capitol etc... OR should we be concentrating on providing appropriate tools and working with him to accept his learning difference and that he may need certain tools(AT) to help him achieve his full potential.
I don't know if it makes sense to request an IEE for At alone. And what good is it if nothing is being done at school anyway?
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Post by healthy11 on Nov 17, 2014 19:12:50 GMT -5
Mykids, I've modified the title of your post so people with AT knowledge are more likely to see it and respond. Are you saying that the school did do an AT evaluation, but found no deficiencies that they felt could be helped with techology? That does sound hard to believe, given what your son's achievement scores on the WIAT-III reflect. What were the qualifications of the person who did the school's AT eval? (Even if an IEE is granted, they'll usually want the person to have the at least the same qualification as their own representative...)
I can relate to your concerns about your son's writing, as that's my son's most glaring area of weakness, too. Though he didn't seem to be able to spell or use proper punctuation/capitalization when he was in high school, I want to offer a little encouragement, because my son has continued to progress over the years. We don't kid ourselves or expect him to ever be a perfect writer, but we've accepted it and tried to move forward. As you point out, it's been primarily through using tools, like keyboarding with spellcheck, that his ability to communicate his thoughts and ideas in a written format has improved. (It's still not perfect, but it's noticeably more "readable." In fact, now that he's out of college and has a job, I think a lot of co-workers just accept misspellings in texts and emails, etc. as "par for the course," and they make writing errors too. Perhaps everyone assumes people are just rushing?)
My son didn't get any "formal remediation" or training through the school system, even though he did have an IEP that noted his SLD's in reading and written expression, along with OHI for his ADHD. Instead, he pretty much just kept practicing using what was available at home on his ordinary computer. For what it's worth, my son did not find "voice recognition" software to be very helpful, although I just got back from attending the Annual International CHADD Conference, and one of the presenters said Dragon 10 Speech Recognition is dramatically better than past versions, so that might be worth having your son try.
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Post by michellea on Nov 18, 2014 9:14:19 GMT -5
Given what you shared about your son's profile, I find it hard to believe that that a notebook/laptop/tablet with word processing, text to speech, speech to text, word prediction and spell check software would not be appropriate. His word reading and fluency is low, his writing skills are low - regardless of what his teachers are saying. Additionally, his math facts/ fluency is low - calculator would be very helpful. My son (a HS senior has very similar patterns/ profile) has benefited tremendously from these kinds of tools.
If you are asking for an IEE, I would ask for evaluations in these areas and be sure that the findings are integrated: Educational, Psychological and AT. Although you have good data about his educational, the school is choosing to ignore it and instead looking to the teacher for info about his skill level. If you have these 3 evaluations done at the same time - ideally from an integrated team that will tie the issues together, I think you have a better chance of getting the evidence you need for his IEP.
Don't give up - I know that the barriers erected by the school can be very tiring.....
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