KNEC Annual Symposium on Competency Based Assessment (CBA)

KNEC Annual Symposium on Competency Based Assessment (CBA)

An Act of Parliament, the Kenya National Examinations Council Act, Chapter 225A of 1980, established the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), also known as the Council, as a state corporation in 1980.

The Kenya National Examinations Council Act No. 29 of 2012 repealed this Act and took its place.

The Council’s functions include conducting research on educational assessment, advising public institutions on the development and use of assessment systems upon request, adhering to mutually agreed-upon terms and conditions, and advising the Government on any policy decisions that impact the Council’s functions or the administration of examinations in Kenya.

2. Background 

Assessment of learners is a driver of both teaching and learning, as it provides important data on what knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners have acquired and how well they have learned them.

It also indicates challenges encountered in the process of learning. It is a dynamic process catalyzed by education reforms, rapid technological innovations, and reorientation in reporting at various levels to inform on learners’ acquisition of 21st-century skills, among other factors. 

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Kenya’s largely summative educational system is changing into a more balanced approach that incorporates both formative and summative modes of assessment as a result of the ongoing education reforms.

To keep abreast of these changes, stakeholders must engage, dialogue, give input, and exchange ideas on the current trends to improve learning outcomes. 

The Kenya National Examinations Council proposes a national symposium under the theme “Shaping the Future of Education: Nurturing Learners’ Potential through Competency-Based Assessment.”. 

It is proposed that the symposium be held between April 22 and April 24, 2024, at The College of Insurance, South C. 

3. Rationale for the Symposium: 

The Competency-Based Assessment Framework (CBAF) and the Monitoring Learner Achievement Framework (MLAF) provide a structured way of ensuring effective assessment for learning and assessment of learning in primary, secondary, and teacher education. 

There is a need to engage education stakeholders with feedback on monitoring learning outcomes to catalyze the concerted efforts put in place to ensure Kenyan children are prepared for the future. 

In the absence of a national community of practice on assessment issues, most education practitioners will advance in the development of assessments that do not diagnose learning gaps for remediation and thus fail to nurture every learner’s potential as envisaged in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). 

Similarly, national assessments have effectively highlighted gender disparities and equity issues in many disadvantaged and marginalized sub-populations that need to be addressed to ensure no child is left behind. 

The proposed KNEC Annual Symposium aims at congregating key education stakeholders to share experiences on assessment practices at national and regional levels and disseminate assessment studies. 

This is in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) report, which proposed a review of the Competency-Based Assessment Framework (CBAF) and restructuring the primary assessment known as Kenya Primary School Educational Assessment (KPSEA) to monitor learners progress and provide feedback to stakeholders. 

Furthermore, the symposium will provide an avenue for stakeholders to provide views on the implementation of formative and summative assessments at junior high school (JS), including shaping the transition from junior high to senior high school (SS) and guiding the placement of learners into pathways. 

At the symposium, education stakeholders are expected to share professional views, synergize, and review current trends in monitoring learning outcomes. 

The education sector can utilize symposium recommendations to formulate appropriate intervention strategies and policies aimed at improving the quality of education in Kenya. 

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Investing in monitoring learning as a key ingredient in nurturing learner potential, KNEC hopes to further develop catalogs of learning assessments conducted in Kenya, help Kenya identify what education data on monitoring learning is available, and advise on how the country can work on filling data gaps for national and global reporting. 

4. Objectives of the Symposium 

The objectives of the 2024 annual symposium are as follows:
a) disseminate and discuss national reports on primary school assessments conducted in Kenya at the Basic Education level. 
b) showcase the institutionalization and contribution of monitoring learner progress through school-based assessments. 

c) create an understanding of school-level reporting and the use of assessment data for improving learning outcomes. 
d) Discuss and conceptualize modes of assessment to guide the transition from junior high to senior high school. 

e) provide a platform for education stakeholders to explore opportunities and challenges in monitoring learning outcomes through formative and summative assessments.
f) assess inclusivity in assessment, particularly the progress of the stage-based pathway for learners with special needs. 
g) explore the role of ICT in enhancing competency-based assessment. 

5. Key Stakeholders 

Targeted The symposium is expected to be attended by the following stakeholders: 
i. Ministry of Education (MoE), including all SAGAs. 
ii. Government and State officials. 
iii. Teachers Service Commission. 
iv. Teachers Associations. 
v. Institutions handling matters of persons with disabilities. 
vi. Nonstate actors involved in CBC and CBA programs. 
vii. Academic institutions, art galleries, and music experts. 
viii. Development partners. 
ix. International Assessment Practitioners. 
x. Universities and colleges. 

6. Symposium Sub-Themes 

i) The role and value of formative assessments. 

ii) Dissemination of studies on monitoring learning outcomes. 

iii) Monitoring skill development among learners with disabilities. 

iv) Transition assessments for placement of learners in pathways at senior school. 

v) Leveraging ICT and assessments on global proficiency benchmarks. 

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vi) Understanding school-specific reporting for better learning outcomes. 

vii) Use of assessment data for effective policy formulation in education. 

viii) Multi-dimensional approaches to assessment of learners’ competencies. 

7. Symposium outcome

A join symposium communiqué with implementable recommendations for specific agencies will be made. This will largely inform the key strategies in monitoring and evaluation for the Research Innovation and Educational Assessment Resource Center department. 

KNEC Annual Symposium on Competency Based Assessment (CBA)

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