Grade Three pupils will sit a national exam at the end of the year before joining Grade Four under the new Competency Based Curriculum.
Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) acting CEO Mercy Karogo said the national test would be done at the end of each tier of education in the 2-6-3-3-3 system.The new system covers pre-primary and Grade One up to Grade 12.
Early Years Education (EYE) covers nursery education to Grade Three while Middle School Education will cover Grade Four to Grade Nine. Senior School will cover Grade 10 to Grade 12.
“At the end of Grade 3 this year, learners will sit Kenya Early Years Assessment (KEYA) exam to be administered in three assessments of English, Mathematics and Integrated Learning Areas, an assessment that integrates knowledge from different disciplines,” said Dr Karogo.
Karogo, who was addressing teachers undergoing training on CBC in Machakos, said they had developed a Competency Based Assessment Framework (CBAF) to be used in the assessment.
“Learners will be assessed using a portfolio assessment for about two months. Portfolio is a purposeful collection of learners’ work that shows effort, progress and mastery of a specified learning outcome or competency. It provides evidence of progress and achievement or mastery,” said Karogo.
She added: “The ongoing education reforms call for a paradigm shift in the mode of instruction and consequently assessment, with emphasis on the use of key inquiry questions for each topic.”Karogo said learners will be engaged through critical thinking on issues rather than just recalling information.
