Proposed Changes to Final Examinations; KNEC to Develop Senior School Placement Guidelines
Under the proposed education reforms, the final examination will be administered by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), whose name the committee proposes to change to Kenya National Assessment Council.
At the junior and senior secondary levels, a substantial amount of weight has been added to the final exams.
However, it will not be the sole factor in determining the learners’ ultimate grade or advancement to the next level.
Under 8-4-4, at the conclusion of junior secondary, students will take a final examination similar to the KCPE.
However, it will account for 60% of their final grade; the remaining 40% will come from assessments at the conclusion of Grades 7 and 8, each of which will account for 20% of their final grade.
The cumulative result will determine the learner’s final grade and play a crucial role in determining where they will attend senior secondary education.
This is a departure from the previous arrangement, which stipulated that the final exam would only account for 40% of the total grade.
Simultaneously, the remaining sixty would be collected from classroom assessments.
At the end of Senior secondary education, at the end of Grade 12, students will also take a summative examination comparable to the KCSE.
This will account for 70% of their ultimate grade; the remaining 30% will come from the School-Based Assessment and demonstrated competencies.
If these proposals make it into the final report, they will represent a significant departure from the initial design of the CBC, which called for the elimination of high-stakes exams for transitioning from primary to secondary and tertiary school.
This is due to the fact that, similar to the 8-4-4 system, the learner will have to work harder to attain the next level.
If the recommendations are adopted, KNEC will restructure the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) within one year in order to monitor the progress of learners and provide feedback to stakeholders.
Within one year, KNEC will also be required to develop placement guidelines for learners in Senior School career pathways.
Proposed Changes to Final Examinations; KNEC to Develop Senior School Placement Guidelines