The 2020 grade 4 assessments under the competency-based curriculum (CBC) is entering day 3 today however, as was the case in the first round of assessment various centres have reported hitches in their efforts to download assessment tools from the KNEC assessment portal.
The assessment is designed by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and schools will be required to download and administer the assessment tools score and upload the learner’s assessment scores on the neck competency-based assessment portal between march 8 and march 19th.
The assessment outcomes will form 20 per cent of the final grade 6 mark under the CBC. The outcome of this assessment will inform how the learners now transition to grade seven which is junior secondary school two years from now.
Another level of assessment similar to this one will be conducted in grade 5 and another one in grade 6. The same score will be weighted at 20 per cent this year, then in grade 6 which is now the final grade in the primary.
Another assessment will be done where learners will be weighted at 20 per cent, just before a national summative exit examination for the same for grade 6 is administered by KNEC, to ensure that now the entire scope ranging from grade four grade five to grade 6 now makes it 100 per cent.
The final summative national exit assessment which will be assessed at grade 6 will be weighted at 40 per cent which will now be put together alongside the 20 per cent ongoing marks.
Another 20 will be taken from the assessment that will be done at grade five and then the final assessment of 20 per cent will be done at grade 6 just before the national summative exit assessment.
Unlike in the past where the transition from primary to secondary was always pegged at the final KCPE examination the transition of the learners, in grade 4 was the pioneer class of CBC will now be an outcome of a larger process of assessment beginning from grade 4, 5 to 6.
The same will be replicated once they get to a junior secondary which begins from grade 7 and then up to senior secondary which begins from Grade 9.
Some challenges in terms of network coverages and the cost of downloading the materials have been reported by several schools across the country despite the Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha stating last week that schools should become as creative as possible to ensure that learners are assessed based on the readily available material within the environment.
However, we can never run away from the fact that the assessment has to involve some internet connectivity. Unless there is strong and active internet connectivity many schools are struggling
