CBC Pioneers Set for Initial Pilot Assessment Before Final JSS Exam

Published By Whitney Okore For The Statesman Digital
3 months ago

Grade 9 pupils, who are the pioneers of the Competency-based Curriculum (CBC), are expected to undergo the first pilot assessment in readiness for their final Junior Secondary School (JSS) assessment next year.

The exercise, conducted by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) from July 15 to 19 July, 2024, targets 5,875 learners drawn from 235 schools, including both regular curriculum and special needs, with five schools selected per county.

Anne Ngatia, acting director of KNEC, states: "We have a variety of assessment formats. We will have multiple choice, and we will also have short structured questions where learners are expected to write their own responses. We will analyze the results afterward to see how they performed in this item format,” knec Ag. Director Anne Ngatia said.

"In Grade 7 and 8, these learners are sitting for school-based assessments. This strategy ensures we move away from high-stakes exams at the end of a cycle, which sometimes leads to malpractices witnessed in the other system," KNEC CEO David Njegere said.

According to KNEC, 5,125 learners will be drawn from the regular curriculum, while 750 are children with special needs who are part of the pilot assessment.

"We will have a learner questionnaire, which is the first time we are using it. We want to find out what their interests are. The purpose of this assessment is to help them choose their career pathways. The choice of career pathways should not be determined solely by the achievement tests we give but also by their interests and personality,” said Anne Ngatia.

"The score that the child gets during the pilot will be used solely for research purposes. It will not affect their formative or summative assessments, which means they don’t have to prepare as if they are sitting for an exam. We have asked teachers not to coach them; they just need to show up because we want to make it as natural as possible,” Njegere added.

The learners will be assessed in eight subjects: English Language, English (Composition & Literary Analysis), Kiswahili Lugha, Kiswahili (Insha na Utangulizi wa Fasihi), Kenyan Sign Language (KSL), Mathematics, Integrated Science, Agriculture & Nutrition, Religious Education (CRE, HRE, IRE), Creative Arts & Sports, and Pre-Technical Studies.