Toni Konz

akonz@courier-journal.com

The Kentucky Department of Education's investigation into testing problems at Male High School continues as more students are coming forward to say they were given answers by staff members to the ACT Compass Test.

The Compass Test helps schools evaluate career and college readiness and helps colleges assess incoming students' skills in reading, writing skills, writing essay, math and English as a Second Language, but those results are not submitted when students apply for college.

We reported in January that the Kentucky Department of Education was assisting ACT, the Iowa-bases testing organization, in an investigation involving Male High School as it relates to the Compass Test that was administered last year.

Several students and their parents have recently told The Courier-Journal that they (or their kids) were given the answers to the tests by a Male High School official, who would "give students answers with a thumbs up or thumbs down gesture. At other times, she simply pointed to the correct answers or just simply called out the answers."

Those students and parents also say that the school's principal David Mike "gave students answers."

Ed Colby, spokesman for ACT said his organization does not comment on individual investigations. He would neither confirm nor deny if an investigation is taking place and referred all questions back to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Nancy Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for KDE, told me Friday the investigation is ongoing.

Officials with Jefferson County Public Schools told me the district is not currently investigating Male High School for any testing problems.

When reached by telephone this week, Mike declined to comment.

As I mentioned earlier this week, there is also a group of students and parents upset with Mike because of his decision to overstaff nine teachers and staff members at Male.

Each year, principals in every school go over their budgets and make plans for the following school year and make personnel decisions based on what they feel their needs are. Principals make the recommendations that are ultimately approved by the school's site-base decision-making council.

The past few weeks, students have been sporting "Save Male High" bracelets.