New KCSE Exam Grading System; All you Should Know
The Ministry of Education has introduced a new grading system for the KCSE examination in 2023.
According to the new grading structure, only two mandatory subjects will be required for computing the mean grade.
Math and one language (English, Kiswahili, or Kenyan Sign Language) will be the only required subjects for the 2023 KCSE examination, according to Education CS Ezekiel Machogu.
In addition to the two required subjects, Knec must evaluate the candidate’s five best-performing subjects.
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The new reform measure, according to Machogu, is anticipated to increase the number of pupils who qualify for university, diploma, and TVET training at the certificate and artisan levels.
On Monday, he spoke at the New Mitihani House to mark the beginning of the exam season.
Previously, the KCSE exam’s grading system considered seven subjects. Included were English, Kiswahili, mathematics, two science subjects, and two additional subjects.
According to the Presidential Working Group on Education Reforms, some students were disadvantaged by the 8-4-4 grading system because their best-performing subjects were not considered if they were not within the cluster.
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According to them, the system provided primarily summative examinations for certification and placement, which led to school dropouts.
Regarding assessment, there are no specific guidelines for identifying, selecting, and placing students in the various career pathways and postsecondary institutions. Exams with high stakes have lead to cheating and credibility issues, according to the report.
This resulted in unhealthy competition for limited spaces in the subsequent levels of education, resulting in a significant loss of young people who dropped out of school after failing to achieve satisfactory exam scores.
In the new system, English and Kiswahili are used to assess a learner’s literacy level, while Mathematics and any Science subject are used to assess the learner’s numeracy.
In addition, they cited concerns regarding the integrity of formative assessment, citing compromised scores uploaded to the Knec portal by teachers and cyber cafe agents.
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This prompted stakeholders to recommend an external assessment by Knec, noting that it will bear greater weight in determining learners’ overall performance.
The report states, “The current global practice is to combine summative and formative assessment to effectively provide feedback on the learner’s progress and to improve the education sector.”
“Countries such as England, China, Israel, South Africa, and Ghana have adopted formative assessment at all levels of education and summative assessment at the end of each level of education.”
Exams for the KCSE are scheduled to begin on October 23, 2023, and conclude on November 24, 2023.
The dress rehearsals will take place on October 19, 2023.
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New KCSE Exam Grading System; All you Should Know
