How long evaluations take and when to pay for a private report

Key rules

• Private report: It supports the public evaluation but never replaces it, and the school may not accept it.
• Before paying: Ask the school's guidance team whether it will use a private report before you commission one.
• Waiting time: Most regions set no strict maximum wait, so ask your school for a local estimate.

Waiting times and the weight given to private reports differ by region and team, so confirm both with your school's guidance counsellor or regional education office.

How long will the public evaluation take?

Waits vary, and in most regions there is no strict legal maximum. Some regional instructions set only target periods, such as finishing within the school term or before enrolment deadlines. In practice, the wait depends on how many pupils your guidance service has to see. Ask the school's guidance counsellor for a realistic estimate in your region.

Can a private report replace the public evaluation?

No. A private report is supporting evidence, not a substitute. The public guidance team (EOEP, EOE or EAT, depending on your region) must carry out or validate the evaluation. It issues the informe psicopedagógico and the dictamen de escolarización. The dictamen sets your child's official special-needs status and the resources that go with it.

So a private report can help, but the school is not guaranteed to accept it. Some teams use private reports readily. Others repeat the tests themselves. Check with the school first, before you pay.

What makes a private report more useful?

A report carries more weight when:

• the professional is qualified;
• the report is recent;
• it uses standardised tests;
• it gives clear recommendations.

When is it worth paying?

Pay for a private report if the school's guidance team says it will use it, and you want information or a starting point for support while you wait. If the team says it will re-test anyway, a private report may add little to the official process. If you are unsure, hold off on paying until you have asked.

Keep the public evaluation request going the whole time. A private report does not move your child up the queue and does not replace the official result.

The decision, checklist and questions below take you through these choices step by step.

Choosing between options

Should you wait for the public team or also pay for a private report?

• Wait for the public evaluation only: The school says the wait is short, or its team does not need extra evidence to decide on support.

• Also commission a private report: The school confirms its team accepts private reports, and you can use a qualified professional who uses standardised tests and gives clear recommendations.

• Hold off on paying until you have asked: The school has not yet told you whether its team uses private reports or repeats the tests.

A private report is supporting evidence only and never replaces the public evaluation, and acceptance is not guaranteed.

Checklist

• Ask the school's guidance counsellor how long the public evaluation is likely to take in your region.

• Ask whether the school or guidance team has a target date, such as the end of term or the enrolment deadline.

• Ask the school whether its guidance team accepts private reports before you pay for one.

• Ask whether the team uses private reports as they are or repeats the tests itself.

• Check that the professional is qualified, the tests are standardised and the report is recent and gives clear recommendations.

• Keep the public evaluation request going while you arrange any private report, since the private report cannot replace it.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a legal maximum wait for my child's evaluation?

In most regions there is no strict legal maximum wait for completing an evaluation. Some regions only set indicative periods, such as finishing within the school term or before enrolment deadlines. Ask the school's guidance counsellor how many pupils are ahead of your child.

Can a private report replace the public evaluation?

No, a private report cannot replace the public evaluation, because the public guidance team must carry out or validate it. That team issues the official report and the dictamen de escolarización, which sets your child's official special-needs status and resources. The private report still counts as supporting evidence.

What makes a private report more likely to carry weight?

A private report carries more weight when a qualified professional wrote it recently, used standardised tests and gave clear recommendations.