The Kenya National Examination Council has rolled out a five-day pilot for Grade 9 summative assessment tests. The exercise that started on Monday, July 15, and ends on Friday, July 19, 2024, is targeting over 5,000 learners from 235 schools countrywide. The exercise is a prelude to the official unveiling of Grade 9 KJSEA and KPSEA set for 2025.
Context and Background
Transition to Competency-Based Curriculum
The Competency-Based Curriculum is mineral-bound to phase out the KCPE and introduce more holistic assessment tools, gauging various dimensions of competencies of learners. The KJSEA shall be the standard assessment at the end of Grade 9 in the Age-Based pathway, while the KPLEA shall be for those in the Stage-Based progression path.
Pilot Details
Anne Ngatia, the acting deputy director of KNEC’s Research, Innovation, and Educational Assessment Resource Centre, disclosed that 5,875 learners will sit the pilot. Of these, 5,125 learners come from the regular curriculum, while 750 are from special needs schools. The tests include both pen-and-paper tests and e-assments in a number of subjects.
Key Features of the Pilot
Participant Demographics
- Total Participants: 5,875 learners
- Regular Curriculum Learners: 5,125
- Special Needs Learners: 750 from 30 purposively sampled schools, representing visual, hearing, and physical impairments
- Sampling: 25 learners randomly selected from each participating school
Assessment Subjects
The learners will be assessed in multiple subjects, including:
- English Language, Composition, and Literary Analysis
- Kiswahili Lugha, Insha, and Utangulizi wa Fasihi
- Kenyan Sign Language (KSL)
- Mathematics
- Integrated Science
- Agriculture & Nutrition
- Religious Education (CRE, HRE, IRE)
- Creative Arts & Sports
- Pre-Technical Studies
Additional Assessments
In addition to the actual tests, questionnaires will be administered by KNEC to elicited information on learner personality and interest, teachers’ feelings on the appropriateness of assessment tools for the learning outcome, headteachers’ overview on the administration and teacher competencies.
Objectives of the Pilot
Feasibility and Reliability
The primary goal is to form a basis for establishing whether the national assessment system as designed is feasible and to validate test instruments and procedures. According to KNEC CEO David Njengere, this mainly aims to establish appropriateness of the Tables of Specifications for each subject, the adequacy of test items, and reliability and efficiency of the assessment tools in general.
Pilot Evaluation Criteria
The pilot will evaluate several key factors:
- Validity and reliability of the assessment tools
- Effectiveness of test administration procedures
- Readiness for e-assessment in junior schools
- Appropriateness of time allocation for assessments
- Impact of various test formats
- Reliability of scoring procedures
- Suitability of grading criteria for guiding senior school placement
- Most effective reporting styles for assessment results
Special Needs Assessment
On their part, learners with special needs will have performance-based tasks. This will be headed by KNEC officers, while assessors will be teachers of a particular school. Materials meant for assessment shall be handled under the KNEC CBA Portal, through which schools will get the chance to download, administer, score, and upload the results.