Dear reader, my 48th treatise on Competency-Based Education (CBE) focuses on certification in Senior School (Grades 10-12). Ideally, certification is attached to the two-pronged assessments in Senior School. The first prong is the formative assessment served in Grades 10 and 11. Whereas the second prong is the summative assessment to be done in Grade 12. Learners in Senior School will be assessed in 7 subjects. Of which 4 are compulsory subjects: English, Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language (KSL), Core Mathematics or Essential Mathematics, and Community Service Learning (CSL). The remaining 3 subjects should be selected from the Pathways and Tracks of choice as brought out in the detailed policy document titled: Guidelines for Implementation of Senior School Education (2025).
Ideally, the formative assessment will take the dimension of School-Based Assessments (SBAs) in Grades 10 and 11. While the summative assessment will be the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE), which learners will sit for at the zenith of Grade 12. The percentile ratios of formative to summative assessment will be 30% to 70%, respectively. Both formative and summative assessments will be administered by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
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So, subject teachers shall assess learners’ work in the SBAs at the school level. They shall assess the learners’ work in all the 7 subjects in strict adherence to the raft of good guidelines provided by KNEC. Then, they will provide immediate feedback to learners at the school level. Withal, the scores for each learner will be uploaded on the KNEC’s assessment portal at the tail-end of every year. In that regard, KNEC will meticulously analyse the SBA for each grade, and provide the national report – depicting the national performance of different strands in each subject. The report will also point out areas that require urgent and exigent intervention.
Ipso facto, KNEC will provide a raft of recommendations and remedies to the concerned educational stakeholders. The school year report (SYR), which is the comprehensive account of the learner’s performance, will be doled out at the tail-end of Grades 10 and 11.
More importantly, KNEC will administer a national summative assessment at the tail-end of Grade 12. KNEC will organise and manage marking of the summative assessment at the national level. The combined results from SBAs and summative assessment will be used for placement of learners in different career pathways in tertiary education (universities and colleges), and the world of work. Learners will be issued certification referred to as the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE). Also worth noting, the result slip, which is a candidate’s statement of provisional results, will be issued immediately after the announcement of results. Whereas certificates will be issued once the results are confirmed.
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Consequently, there are learners who will be eligible for Dual Certification in Grade 12, which marks the end of Basic Education. Who are these learners? They are the ones undertaking any of the subjects in the Technical Studies Track of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Pathway. There are around 8 subjects in the Technical Studies Track, which include: Electricity, Power Mechanics, Woodwork, Metalwork, Building Construction, Media Technology, and Marine and Fisheries Technology. Therefore, Dual Certification means that upon completion of Senior School, the learners will be awarded the KCBE certificate by KNEC.
Finally, they will be eligible for an artisan certificate, which will be awarded by an industrial training institution. Graduates will therefore be ripe and ready to join the world of work through an apprenticeship. How? By working under the training and tutelage of experienced specialists, they keep on upskilling, learning the ropes on the job. For example, a learner doing Electricity can easily become an electrician after Senior School. By the same token, a learner doing Woodwork can easily become a carpenter after Senior School. Learners graduating from the Technical Studies Track of STEM Pathway will also have the option of joining the middle-level colleges or universities to pursue careers in areas related to technology and engineering.
By Victor Ochieng’
Victor Ochieng’ rolls out talks and training services. He guides learners on how to make informed career choices. vochieng.90@gmail.com.
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