Lexington Herald-Leader from Lexington, Kentucky • 1

LEXINGTON wwwkentuckycom A-Rod admits using steroids YANKEE STAR SAYS PRESSURE GOT TO HIM DURING THREE SEASONS WITH TEXAS RANGERS -SPORTS Cl BATTLE OF THE BILLYS Cats prepare for first-place Florida No 1 Scott County beats Bryan Station SPORTS Cl FEBRUARY 10 2009 TUESDAY I METRO FINAL EDITION EDUCATION 0W "1 OFFICIALS SUPPORT TESnNG OVERHAUL Search ora florwiesto raise toes Legislators consider cigarette alcohol levies Declaration comes as lawmakers consider dramatic change: What are we going to do about education? ACT NOW? i leaders In the Ssnata want to move quickly Thair proposal would: Eliminate written responses in favor of multiple choice Eliminate writing portfolios from testing Eliminate testing of arts and humanities or vocational studies Find off-the-shelf tests that match Kentucky's curriculum standards Test for no more than a week By Ryan Alessl and Both Musgrave ralcsiiOtwreld-leaderxom bmusgrawOherald-leideuom FRANKFORT Legislative leaders are scrambling to dredge up enough votes to raise the cigarette tax 30 cents and to put a 6 percent sales tax on alcohol as they patch a in the stated budget After stitching together their proposal top-ranking See TAXES A6 504 754 2009 General Assembly More coverage Aicohoi Industry protests Tax proposal criticized Page AS Nursing homes bib Federal ratings would have to be on display hgeBl Converting to digital television Here is when Lexington-area stations will turn off their analog transmitters: WLEX-IS(NBC) WKYT-27 (CBS) WTVQ-36 (ABC) WKLE-46 (PBS) WDKY-56 (FOX) WUPX-67 (ION) June 12 April 13 (tentative) Feb 17 April IS June 12 No fiim date but highly likely to be after Feb 17 WTVQ-36 in Lexington dans to da did not see any reason to general manager SeuTVA7 MOVE MORE SLOWLY? State edueatlM offidab prefer to move eiowafc They woukk Develop new curriculum standards before finding a new test Provide a test that measures student progress overtime Provide a test that measures both knowledge and higher-level thinking Continue ongoing accountability Support classroom work through testing By Jim Whim and Linda Blackford IwarrenGhcfakHeadetcom WacWofdOheraJd-leadMxom The top education officials acknowledged Monday that Kentucky academic standards and student testing system need mjor overhauls but cautioned against making hasty changes The declaration made in a position paper released by the Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Board of Education comes as state lawmakers contemplate dramatic changes to education system in coming weeks including a Republican-led push to revamp math standards and the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System or CATS Democratic Gov Steve Beshear also requested a thorough review of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act in hia State of the Commonwealth Message last week Critics of the Education Department say its proposal looks like an attempt to do too little too late "This whole position paper stretches out said Jim Waters director of planning and communications at the Bhiegrass Institute for Public Policy very unambitious: it doesn't promise any meaningful changes to the state testing system for yean" Department of Education spokeswoman Lisa Gross said Monday that education officials began working on their position paper well before am rent legislative discussions been talking about this for months probably more than a she said just time to do Set TESTS A6 a All but one station delay TV switch WHAT WE HAVE NOW The Commonwealth Accountability lotting System: Measures progress not students' Uses written responses and multiple-response questions Includes writing portfolios and arts and humanities lakes place over a two-week period Is based on curriculum standards developed by Kentucky teachers 1 'SJ A tone Rm of education reform Page A6 cccta WTVQWUPULL PLUG ON ANALOG ON 17 AS PLANNED By Scott Sloan ssknnOhmkl-teadKCom For those who thought that they had a reprieve until June to get ready for the switch to digital television you might get lost trying to find Lost next week Congress voted last week to delay the digital TV requirement until June 12 but stations are allowed to turn off their old analog signal as early as the original switchover date of Feb 17 That is exactly what ABC-affiliate jETbluegrass momscom Read the Kentucky Department of Education position paper Join an online chat about educational testing makes case for stimulus Obama PAINTS ECONOMIC PICTURE AS DIRE BILL AS URGENT INSIDE TODAY HERALD-LEADER Branching out With the power back on and weather warm thoughts around Lexington turn to how to get rid of tree debris City Region B1 Was Rihanna the victim? Reports surface saying singer Chris Brown girlfriend was the injured woman who called police In Touch A2 UK smoking ban to be extended On Nov 19 smoking will be banned everywhere on the University of Kentucky campus City Region B1 WEDNESDAY SUmufam passes test In Senate Bill squeaks by in procedural vote Page A3 ship with Obama either Hell watch the Super Bowl with Republicans visit them on Capitol HilL even put three Republicans in his Cabinet "Whk I won't Obama told reporters assembled in the East Room return to the failed theories of the last eight yean that got us into this fix in the first It was a thin line in the sand and a veiled slap at Republicans that won't be lost on Obama's liberal supporters See OBAMA A6 COMING UP I Communities: Shortly before Valentine Day stories of love between people and the dogs they rescued By Ron Fournier and JsnnifsrLwan Associated Press WASHINGTON No drama with Obama No joking with Obama In his first prime-time news conference Americans saw a determined deadly aerious President Barack Obama make his case for a historically huge economic recovery plan pledging to push it through Congress in record time even if he and fellow Democrats must steamroll Republicans to do it No more blind bipartisan ONLINE TODAY KENTUCKYCOM IWitter Follow Kentuckycom headlines at twitteixomheraldleader CHUCK KEHCOV MCCUnCHYTRSUIC President Barack Obama said a failure lo act iwift)! snd on the economy turn a crisis into a catastrophe" -11 44 VH t94 Vr -V -Jw 4 N-fM Mir- HOW TO REACH US Dalhwry: 1-800-999-8881 233-7878 or 1-800-S33-7355 SHOWERS Chance of precipitation 70HWMtharB12 62 1 54 HIGH LOW.