A common topic up for debate among underclassmen is whether or not they will once again take the infamous ISTEP test.

For years, students have been told that ‘this is your last year of ISTEP,’ and yet, without fail, each following year another test arises.

“When you’re in Middle School, once you’ve taken the ISTEP, they tell you ‘that’s it! You’re finished taking the ISTEP permanently.’ However, they neglect to tell us that another year of painful ISTEP testing awaits,” junior Meghan May said.

This week marks 2018’s ISTEP week. Sophomores (along with juniors/seniors who did not pass their sophomore ISTEP test) have spent this past week tirelessly testing. This testing has been the cause of the schedule changes students have been experiencing.  

Panther Pluses were extended Monday and Tuesday due to the large amount of students testing during that period. Additionally, class periods have been extended for Thursday and Friday, and Panther Pluses have been removed on those days.  

“The extended Panther Pluses I don’t mind as much, but I don’t like the seventy two minute class periods because that’s a long time to spend… especially if your teacher doesn’t do much,” said May.

Many sophomores differ in opinions with May. Unlike May’s opinion that ISTEP is “painful,” some believe that ISTEP is not as bad as it is made out to seem.  

“I feel like ISTEP is a lot less stressful than all the teachers think it is for us, because you can stumble your way through it without pushing too hard,” said sophomore Katrina Tann.  

They feel that the additional class time can often be beneficial. For example, students also spend around a week preparing for ISTEP prior to testing, and Tann likes that.

“[The week of practice we do] is not really necessary, because anyone can pass istep, but it’s nice to have that extra time to not do anything in class,” Tann said.