The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will administer several national examinations to primary and secondary students in public and private schools once the ongoing new basic education curriculum (6-3-3-3) reforms becomes operational.
Currently all primary school candidates do Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam while those in secondary sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam.
Knec Deputy Secretary in charge of field administration Mohamud Ibrahim revealed this during the 20th Annual private schools directors conference that attracted more than 700 delegates at Sai Roc Beach Hotel in Mombasa.
He urged the private kindergartens, primary and secondary school managers to prepare psychologically for the proposed changes in the national examinations.
In his presentation, “changes adopted in the administration of national examinations and the anticipated assessment framework for the basic curriculum reform,” Mr Ibrahim took the managers through the sets of expected national examinations under the new curriculum.
HOW PROFICIENCY WILL BE TESTED
Mr Ibrahim said that Knec will develop and administer Kenya Assessment Learners’ Achievement (KALA) and Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE).
The Knec deputy secretary also indicated that KALA examinations will be administered to Grade 3 learners to judge their numeracy, literacy and science proficiency.
“We also have Grade 6 KALA for mathematics, Literacy,(reading and writing) and science; Grade 9 KALA – mathematics, English, Integrated science, social studies, Kiswahili/KSL and Pre-vocational studies,” he stated.
He added: “Teachers will conduct classroom assessment from pre-primary to grade 12 while Knec will develop and administer Kenya Assessment Learners’ Achievement (KALA) and the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE).”
He said KCBE will be administered for senior High School (Grade 10 to 12).
“This is a summative assessment to be developed and administered by Knec as a final examination which will constitute 30 percent while 70 percent will come from the school-based assessment,” he said.
He said assessment programs for the new competency-based curriculum reform must be an integral part of effective teaching, inform instruction, and should be designed to provide opportunities to a wide range of diverse learners.
He said the assessment should effectively inform learners, parents, teachers, curriculum developers and other stakeholders about performance “in relation to the expectation of approved curriculum learning outcomes at different grade levels.”
How to carb EXAM IRREGULARITIES
Knec, he said, expects schools to work closely with his agency to eradicate examination irregularities.
“As key stakeholder in the entire examination process, the Council would wish thank you most sincerely for your selfless dedication during the 2016 examinations and look forward to partner with you in 2017 in order to deliver credible examination results,”
Mr Ibrahim told the private school managers that the proposal in the examinations will be communicated once Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is done with the process.
Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) national chairperson Mutheu Kasanga stressed that her members will prepare themselves adequately to implement the new curriculum once its ready.