For the 2013-2014 school year Kaneland High School administration created mandatory STEP.  Most teachers are required to run a STEP class, and all students must attend one.

“Every teacher has a duty, some people’s duty is to supervise STEP, some people’s duty is to simply help run STEP,” math teacher Matthew Smith said.

The fact that STEP is now mandatory for all students regardless of what grades they have earned can be seen as problematic and unnecessary to some students.

“I don’t like how it’s mandatory because if you have good grades you shouldn’t have to go,” sophomore Connor James said.

However it was made mandatory for RTI purposes, because not everyone has a study hall, according to Smith.

This year instead of just helping the students that have D’s and/or F’s in classes, it also helps those students that have C’s, B’s, and A’s maintain their passing grades.

Mandatory STEP has also been beneficial because it has been able to bring music and journalism classes together for a longer time period giving students that extra time that to succeed.

“I like it because I feel like the music kids aren’t separated anymore,” junior Rachel Miller said, “It gives you that extra time to spend time with teachers, especially for the kids that don’t have a study hall.”

This newly implemented system has made it easier for teachers to reach out to students that need extra help, make up a test, or have questions.

“If a kid was misses something they can be given a test that they need to make up or extra work that they need to do. You couldn’t do that with just a study hall, because not all kids have a study hall,” english teacher Dominic Bruno said.