Starting Feb. 26, as most students enjoy their delayed start, sophomores will take the state-mandated ISTEP exam. 

The testing begins Feb. 26 at 7:50 a.m. and is scheduled to finish before the school day’s delayed start time of 9:50. 

Feb. 27, the testing will take longer and is scheduled to finish before 10:20, when the school day will start for those students not taking the test. 

Feb. 28 will be the final day of testing for students with extended time, beginning at 7:50 a.m. and ending by 9:50, when students, including sophomores who finished the test on Feb. 27, will begin class. 

The school’s testing coordinator, Ms. Erin Bethuram ’97, is in charge of planning and organizing the exam, including assigning students to specific classrooms and placing teachers in those rooms to either read the test directions or help supervise the test. 

She said the Indiana Department of Education informs schools of the dates on which they can test, and she works with the admistration to set up a specific testing schedule.

Now that the exam is given primarily on iPad, Bethuram said it is easier to organize as opposed to sorting through boxes of paper exams. Instead, students use the TestNav application on their iPads. Students should “make sure their iPad is fully charged. They should bring a writing utensil,” Bethuram said. The night before, students should plan for a full night of sleep, she said.