Homestretch is the straight final stretch of a race course. Homestretch is the last part of an activity or campaign. Homestretch is the last lap in a race. Homestretch is what Four candidates go through in third term. Apart from anticipating for KCSE with bated breath, Form Four candidates are also stretching towards home. Bells have chimed. Sirens have blared. Horns have honked. When Form Four candidates crane their necks, they can see the finishing line. The time to sit and write KCSE exams is near like a dear lover.
So, schools that are conscious about peak performance in KCSE, are exploring major methods and models of making the Class of 2025 to score more; and rise to some stardom in the academic agora. As an educational consultant in several schools, I strive to keep abreast of best academic practices in great management of Form Four candidates. Specifically, in this 15-point academic work, I chose to ideate about how schools run holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates.
- Explore the Best Academic Practices
In third term, the process of covering the syllabus is complete. In fact, most schools set deadlines to be done and dusted in term two. Too true, once the syllabus is complete, schools launch in-depth revision programmes. By revision I mean “re-visiting”. For sometimes, teachers claim to complete the syllabi. However, some students still struggle with some problematic areas, which call for dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
In this regard, the best academic practices after covering the syllabus should include: Engaging subject experts and examiners, exploring ability grouping, focusing on group discussions, opening doors for consultations, supervising reading of notes, doing and revising several exams. There is also the exigent need for topical teaching, team teaching, subject-based symposiums, hot sittings and filling learning gaps.
- Re-schedule Form Four Lessons
Holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates should focus on stupendous syllabus review strategies. How? By ascertaining levels of content mastery, content retention and content delivery. This calls for amplitude of time. No wonder, in term three, serious schools treat the candidate class as “a school within a school.” Therefore, they re-schedule Form Four lessons. In most cases, spanning for 1 hour, which is a departure from the usual 40 minutes. This approach increases teacher-student contact.
- Expand Teaching and Learning Time
By the same token, in a holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates, schools should expand both teaching and learning time. Schools cannot do the bare-minimum and still expect peerless performance in KCSE. Both Form Fours and their teachers ought to stretch like rubber bands. They must sacrifice. They must pay the price. For no price, no prize. No pain, no gain. Expansion of teaching and learning time means that people have to wake up early, and be ready to sleep late while doing productive academic work. Form Four candidates should be conscious of climes and times. Time is limited. Time and tide waits for no man. Time elapses as if late for a flight. Therefore, they should shorten their breaks and lunches. They must limit their involvement in entertainment, clubs, societies, movements, music, drama, sports and games programmes.
In case games time spans for 1 hour, a Form Four candidate can do it for only 20 minutes. For both psychological and medical pundits who are keen on mind- and body-balance argue, we only need 20 minutes of serious exercise three times a week. Then, we shall be fit like fiddles and sound like bells. Likewise, Form Four candidates should make wise use of morning and evening preps. Additionally, they should make wise use of weekends when the ubiquity of teachers in the school compound is a bit reduced.
- Teach, Test and Re-Teach
Consequently, a holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates should focus on teaching, testing and re-teaching. Schools we put on a pedestal as veritable academic giants serve several exams as part of practice and preparation. Practice makes perfect is a common cliché we all know. Form Fours candidates must know; practice is 90% whereas winning is 10%. No sweat, no sweet.
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The more Form Fours sweat in practice, the less they will bleed in battle. KCSE is the war to win. Several exams to be done are the battles. Form Four candidates must accept to sit for shedloads of RATs, CATs, monthly exams, group exams, inter-class contests, self-evaluations or individual exams, joint exams and prophetic exams. More so, for those who have a predilection for prediction.
- Analyse Every Exam Data
To gauge the academic standing of Form Four candidates and class in general, some exam data will call for in-depth analysis. For instance, class and subject mean, deviations (positive and negative) from previous exams, strengths and weaknesses of the candidate class, learning gaps and analysis of grades distribution — head, body and tail.
- Fatten the Head; Reduce the Tail
In a typical candidate class, top achievers are the head that require some pushing to score more. Average students are the body that we must guide to join the highly-coveted league of top achievers. The tail is the cohort of struggling students scoring mediocre grades. We must cut and reduce the size of the tail. Or else, we will fail and fall flat in hitting our target. Yet, we have the school and recognition targets to hit hence shine like bright light in the community of schools.
- Make Data-Driven Decisions
Moreover, a holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates focuses on data-driven decision-making. Those who are at home with meta-analysis know, data do not peddle lies. Therefore, schools should analyse forms of data such as levels of syllabus coverage, levels of discipline, levels or morale or motivation, academic standing of the class and review meetings of the academic dream team.
- Engage Subject Experts and Examiners
Schools should engage subject experts and examiners as part of holistic homestretch programme. Subject experts are teachers with lofty levels of expert authority in their areas of specialisation. This manifests in a lot of knowledge and vast array of experience they wield. Subject examiners are teachers who have been trained to set and mark exams. More so, at national level. Being that charity begins at home, schools should start by engaging their home-grown examiners. Then, extend the olive branch of invitation to guest examiners. In the whole scheme of things, subject experts and examiners should assist the school to point-out to Form Four candidates the raft of recommendations splashed in KNEC reports requiring impressive implementation. For instance, analysing past KCSE performance for the last 10 years (2024-2014), addressing recurring reasons for poor performance, mentioning major trends in setting and marking and citing subjects requiring affirmative action.
- Do Affirmative Action for Problematic Subjects
Ideally, holistic homestretch programme call for affirmative action in subjects where student flop. Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Mathematics and English — are problematic subjects in several schools. When English is problematic, it affects the academic performance of students to a greater extent. For English is the major medium of instruction. English is also the language of expression in exams. For a successful affirmative action in the subjects I have cited, encourage students to have extra exercise books for assignments, open doors of consultation, introduce more remedial lessons, engage more subject experts and examiners, focus on team teaching and encourage peer teaching.
- Focus on Content Mastery and Retention
Likewise, as part of holistic homestretch programme, the onus is on teachers to remind Form Four candidates that passing exams with flying colours abut on content mastery and retention. Some of the stupendous strategies in this sphere include: Cyclic and skillful reading, effective group discussions, focusing on consultation, self-testing techniques, peer teaching, supervised readings, et cetera.
- Teach Candidates the Art of Exams
Then, mastery of the art of exams is the be-all and end-all in a holistic homestretch programme. The art of exams are the tricks and techniques such as: answering questions in the required depth and breadth, mastering the trick of practical papers, knowing the format of exams, exploring Table of Specification (ToS), honing exam skills and keeping abreast of trends in setting and marking of KCSE.
- Tackle Trends in Setting and Marking
In holistic homestretch programme, Form Four candidates will tackle trends when they understand low and high order skills (Bloom’s Taxonomy), prepare for unpredictable nature of exams, study and review past papers and uphold exam integrity. One of the recipes for dismal failure is when candidates stop preparing for KCSE because they expecting some leakage to percolate from some preposterous pipe. It is instructive to note: the shame of cheating is uglier than the shame of poor performance. Cheating can plunge careers of Principals and teachers in precarious positions. Cheating can cause cancellation of results. Cheating can cause withholding of results. Cheating can cost candidates’ career choices when they get scores they do not deserve.
- Seal all the Learning Gaps
Furthermore, holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates, should seal learning gaps. Gaps in content mastery manifesting when they leave blank spaces in exams. Gaps in correct interpretation of exam questions manifesting when they fumble while answering exam questions. Gaps in presentations manifesting when they sit and write exams carelessly. Gaps in character and discipline manifesting when they begin misbehaving. Gaps in diligence manifesting when they begin becoming lazy, crazy, or clamouring for comfort and free time.
- Audit the School, Teachers and Candidates
Holistic homestretch programme for Form Four candidates should focus on academic audit for the school, Form Four teachers and candidates. Academic audit is a form with table for academic activities in form of questions. Then, the subsequent table for yes/no responses.
- Explore Creative Ways of Steaming off
It is true that precious things are products of pressure, not pleasure. Form Four candidates require some serious push to produce results Conversely, plumbers inform us, as water welters with rage, intense pressure can break some weak pipes. Therefore, as we pile pressure on Form Four candidates to evince excellence, let us never forget that they are human beings and not stones. Francis Imbuga mentioned in Betrayal in the City, if liquids have boiling points, human beings have breaking points. Therefore, schools should strive to arrive on creative ways of assisting students steam off through games, sports, music, dance, talks, self-directed activities and spiritual programmes.
So, as we conclude where we started it. Homestretch is the straight final stretch of a race course. A race course is a ground or track for horse racing. I equate Form Four candidates to horses training to win a war. As they brace up themselves to win in KCSE, they must put God first. For Proverbs 21:31 aptly puts it, “A horse is prepared for war, but victory comes from the Lord God.”
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer is an educationist (academic/career) consultant in schools in over 40 counties. He speaks to Form Four candidates on Finishing Strong Strategies. He trains teachers on Best Academic Practices, with a special bent on Great Management of the Candidate Class.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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