Because they did not do so last year as sophomores due to Covid-19, juniors will take the ISTEP Feb. 8 and Feb. 9.

Mr. Mark Matthews, vice principal for academics, wrote in an email, “In the past, (ISTEP) has been a requirement for all sophomores. Because of Covid, all of last year’s test were determined to be invalid.”

The juniors will come to school from on Feb. 8 (8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and Feb. 9 (8:15 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.) Those days, Day 5 and Day 1, freshmen, sophomores and seniors will be online learning. Juniors should make sure to have their iPads fully charged each day. The complete schedule can be found in an email from Principal Mrs. Julie Barthel.

Some students might remember a law that went into effect in 2015 that had the intent to eliminate ISTEP by 2017. However, according to Matthews, the state has not found a successful alternative assessment. Instead, the plan moving forward is to use the SAT in place of ISTEP. Matthews said, “Unless something changes again, this will be our last time administering ISTEP to Cathedral students.”