The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has issued a circular on the subject guidelines on formative assessment of 2020 grade 4 learners and learners at the intermediate level of the stage-based curriculum.
The circular is as follows:
RE: KNEC/CEO/CBA/G4/2021/001
1st March 2021
To: Through:
All Head-Teachers
Sub-County Directors of Education
SUBJECT GUIDELINES ON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT OF 2020 GRADE 4 LEARNERS AND LEARNERS AT THE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF THE STAGE BASED CURRICULUM
1.0 As recommended in the report of the Taskforce on ‘Enhancing Access, Televance, Transition, Equity and Quality for Effective Curriculum Reforms Implementation which wasreleased by H.E. the President of the Republic of Kenya on 9th February 2021, formative assessments for Grades 4, 5 and 6 are expected to account for 60% of the National Assessment at the end of Grade 6.
2.0 In this regard, schools are expected to submit assessment outcomes of learners who are currently in Grade 4 to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), which will contribute to 20% of the final Grade 6 assessment.
3.0 To guide the process, KNEC will be uploading the 2020 Grade 4 Age Based and Intermediate Level Stage Based assessment tools by 7th March 2021 for schools to access and use.
The tools will cover the following subjects:
3.1 Age Based Curriculum (Regular) Pathway:
3.1.1 Mathematics;
3.1.2 English;
3.1.3 Kiswahili;
3.1.4 Kenyan Sign Language;
3.1.5 Science and Technology
3.1.6 Agriculture;
3.1.7 Music
3.1.8 Art and Craft;
3.1.9 Social Studies;
3.1.10. Christian Religious Education (CRE);
3.1.11 Islamic Religious Education (IRE);
3.1.12 Hindu Religious Education (HRE)
3.1.13 Home Science; and
3.1.14 Physical and Health Education.
3.2 Stage Based Curriculum Pathway:
3.2.1 Communication, Social and Literacy Skills;
3.2.2 Daily Living Skills and Religious Education;
3.2.3 Numeracy Activities;
3.2.4 Creative Activities;
3.2.5 Environmental Activities;
3.2.6 Psychomotor Activities; and
3.2.7 Sensory Motor Integration
4.0 The 2020 Grade 4 learners will not be assessed in indigenous and foreign languages awaiting guidelines on implementation of the same.
5.0 Schools are therefore expected to download and administer the assessment tools; score; and upload the Grade 4 learners’ assessment scores on the KNEC Competency Based Assessment portal (cba.knec.ac.ke) between 8th and 19th March 2021.
6.0 The materials required for performing the assessment tasks should be improvised as much as possible within the immediate school environment.
7.0 Schools will not be expected to upload learners’ biodata afresh since this data was uploaded during administration of Grade 3 MLP assessment.
Schools will however be allowed to edit the following details for learners if need arise.
7.1 Name of the learner;
7.2 Correct order of name;
7.3 Gender of the learner;
7.4 Birth Certificate Number;
7.5 Date of birth of the learner;
7.6 Nationality/Citizenship of the learner;
7.7 Type of special needs and disability;
7.8 Pathway (Age Based or Stage Based).
8.0 In case of any other amendments such as deletion/transfer cases, new enrolments or any other amendment on the existing learners’ details apart from the ones listed above, the school will be expected to contact the Sub-county Director of Education (SCDE) or KNEC.
The SCDEs shall be given rights to access the Grade 4 Portal and effect transfer(s), add new learners, delete or effect amendments of learner’s bio data.
9.0 KNEC will issue each leaner in the database with an assessment number (Unique Identifier Number) automatically generated by the KNEC ICT system.
This number will be used to identify the learner during future assessments. Schools will be expected to inform parents and learners of their Assessment numbers, which shall be used throughout their basic education cycle for KNEC assessments.
10.0 To access the assessment portal, head-teachers are expected to:
10.1 Visit the KNEC website and click on the link ‘cba.knec.ac.ke’.
10.2 Log in using the KNEC School Code as the Username andthe Password used during MLP Grade 3 registration and click ‘grade four’.
11.0 Head-teachers are requested to keep all records generated from the assessment as evidence for use in quality assurance.
12.0 It should be noted that for the 2020 Grade 4 cohort, School Based Assessment (SBA) will constitute 20% of the Formative assessment. However, going forward, from the 2021 Grade 4 cohort:
12.1 Teachers will develop and administer Classroom Assessment (CA) and keep a progress record of the learners’ performance in all subjects. Teachers will then upload the CA scores on the KNEC portal as shall be guided. This will account for 10%.
12.2 KNEC will develop the SBA tools and upload them online for teachers to use.
Schools will download, administer and score the SBA tools. Teachers will then upload the SBA scores on the KNEC portal as shall be guided. This will account for 10%.
12.3 Grade 4 Formative Assessment (20%) will comprise (CA (10%) and SBA (10%).