The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has rolled out a new Grading System to Improve Final KCSE 2023 Grades for candidates. Details emanating from the Council show that form four applicants are set to reap big as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is developing a new grading system using the 8-4-4 system.
The suggestions made by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), according to Chief Executive David Njengere, were for assessments that were largely summative for certification and placement.
Kenya has been using the same grading system for a very long time, and despite some modest tweaks, PWPER recognized the problem and demanded a reassessment of the grading system after realizing how persistent it had become.
The working group claims that the seven disciplines included in the KCSE grading system are English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, two scientific areas, and two additional courses. Some students are harmed by this because if their best topic is not included in the cluster, it is not taken into account.
English and Kiswahili test a learner’s reading ability, whereas Maths and any Science subject measures their numerical skills.
The official continued, “We have tried to make small adjustments to the grading system here and there for a very long period. I’m glad PWPER found that issue and suggested we review our grading structure.
He made this statement during the 39th Annual Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) Conference, which was being presided over by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
PWPER recommended that the three best-performing subjects—Mathematics, English, or Kiswahili—along with five additional courses, be used by KNEC to determine the mean score for the KCSE examination.
He asserted that it is necessary to address the fact that Kenya outperforms other anglophone countries like Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
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“If we register over 900,000 candidates annually, that amounts to close to 5 million candidates, so we must find a way to ensure we mitigate the effects of grading that have a negative impact on the outcomes,” the speaker said. We’re looking into it, and we’ll be organizing a conference of interested parties to talk about how to alter the grading scheme.
The PWPER report states that at the end of the primary and secondary school cycles, respectively, a norm-referenced and criterion-referenced summative evaluation is delivered. School-based assessments are delivered during the learning process but do not contribute to the final grade, with the exception of several secondary school topics that call for practical and project work.
Njengere made the remarks even as he urged parents to resist being talked into purchasing phoney exam materials and said there was no reason to worry about the impending national exams, which are due in about two months.
Njengere continued by saying that the country has to figure out how to create systems that are strong enough to combat fraud efforts.
Njengere stated that trust is a crucial component of assessment and that Kenyans should be aware that teachers are present for most of the school year, assuring teachers that they have been professional and objective in how they conduct assessments.
Since KNEC began implementing the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in 2019, he claimed, the outcomes have shown the teachers’ professionalism.
This occurred as Mudavadi urged African nations to prioritize education reforms since they would provide equal opportunities for all students. He complimented the role of assessors and examiners, adding that they determine each learner’s genuine aptitudes inside the educational system as experts.
Governments rely on the products you have created to make investments, policies, employment placements, evaluations, and reforms. In light of the fact that logisticians frequently succeed in luring millions of young people, shouts, and salutations… According to Mudavadi, the fact that your logistical effort is often larger since you are contacting more individuals but have not yet gotten any petitions proves that you are doing something well.
The delegates were asked by Belio Kipsang, principal secretary for education, to look at whether educational evaluation in Africa is having the desired effects because it is vital to understanding how various countries address their unique issues.