ESA Evaluations - Empowerment Scholarship
If your child is an ESA student already identified with a disability, your Empowerment Scholarship Account will cover a psychological evaluation — and we're a qualified examiner under Arizona law to provide one.
Testing is tailored to your child's needs and your goals for the evaluation. Most ESA-related evaluations include:
- A parent/caregiver interview covering developmental history, current concerns, and goals
- Testing of IQ, academic skills, and/or executive functioning as relevant
Social, emotional, and behavioral questionnaires from parents and, when applicable, teachers
- A comprehensive written report you can submit for ESA documentation, school placement conversations, or your own records
- A feedback session to walk through results and next steps together
how do i pay with my
child's ESA funds?
Note: ESA rules and funding amounts can change year to year — we recommend confirming your specific eligibility and funding tier directly with the Arizona Department of Education alongside working with us.)
[Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Consultation →]
What testing is included?
Your first step is a free 15-minute phone consult to talk through your child's needs and your ESA situation. During this call, we'll help you understand:
1. Whether an evaluation is the right next step for your ESA goals
2. What testing would be most relevant to your child's specific needs
3. How to submit invoices through ClassWallet for reimbursement
We'll also tentatively schedule your intake appointment — typically within a month.
how do i get started?
1. Does your child already have an ESA disability designation — an existing IEP, 504 plan, or MET/Evaluation Report on file?
2. Do you need an updated or additional evaluation to support your child's current ESA funding tier, documentation, or services?
3. Would you like that evaluation completed by a licensed psychologist, so the results are usable for ESA purposes, school placement, or private services?
If you answered "YES" to any of these, an ESA-funded psychological evaluation may be the right next step.
Schedule A Consultation
3 questions to consider
What is an ESA, and how does it cover an evaluation?
Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program lets eligible families use state education funds for approved educational expenses. For students already identified with a disability — through an existing IEP, 504 plan, or Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) report — educational and psychological evaluations are an approved ESA expense category.
Under Arizona law, a qualified examiner for these evaluations is a licensed physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist. Our team meets that qualification.
An updated or additional evaluation can help support a higher ESA funding tier based on your child's disability category, strengthen documentation for services, or provide updated recommendations as your child's needs change.
Please note: ESA funds cannot be used to establish a new disability designation. If your child doesn't yet have an IEP, 504, or MET report, ESA funds aren't available for this evaluation — but a private-pay evaluation can still help you get answers and pursue a designation through the appropriate school-based process
now we have direction
Dr. Griffiths and her team helped me better understand PDA and how this was affecting my son at school. We know have all the right supports in place and I feel more confident as a parent.
helped getting services
We were able to use the assessment from AZ Peds Center to get DDD services in our home and my daughter is making progress in the areas we were concerned about.
helped at school meeting
I was so grateful to have Mr. Albaugh attend the first IEP meeting with me. He was able to share the assessment with the team and help create goals.
I felt really welcome
My daughter has a lot of energy and Dr. Ford was so patient and kind to her. It really helped me feel at ease knowing they could keep up with her active energy.
What makes us different
We Do Details
Every assessment includes an understanding of your child's strengths and areas of growth. We collaborate with teachers, pediatricians, therapists, family members, and medication providers.
We're Personal
Our office is designed to look and feel like your living room. Your child will feel at home and relaxed for the assessment. We don't do stuffy or big fancy words that real people don't understand. Our reports are easy to understand.
We're Experienced
We went to school for a long time to earn those little letters after our names. We also worked in a variety of settings with different kids and families (so nothing really shocks us). Our team also continues to attend trainings, obtain certifications, and keep up to date with recent research and mental heath concerns.
Phone Consult
Let's talk more about working together
Multiple openings every week for us to schedule 15-minutes to talk through the process. We'll talk about your concerns, goals, and how we develop a strength-based assessment for your child.
