Junior Secondary Schools Assessments, Exams (Formative & Summative Knec Exams Guidelines)

ASSESSMENT OF THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION AND PRE-VOCATIONAL LEVEL CURRICULUM

Overview of Assessment of JSS

Assessment for the JSS will be referred to as Kenya Junior Secondary Education assessment (KJSEA). At Pre-Vocational level, the assessment will be referred to as Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA)..

Purpose of Assessment

Assessment at JSS and Pre-Vocational level shall serve the following purposes:

Providing feedback on acquisition of competencies to the learner, teacher, parents/guardians, and other relevant stakeholders.
Monitoring the achievement of learning outcomes at both individual and group
Informing policy makers and curriculum developers on areas to target for appropriate
Facilitating the teacher to improve instructional strategies and
Identifying gaps in the provision of resources that support implementation of
Informing parents and guardians on learners’ educational needs/areas for support or
Encouraging learners to develop skills of self and peer assessment and to be responsible for own
Identifying and nurturing learners’ potential and
Informing transition and selection of pathways in SSS and Vocational
Assessing possible extraneous and intervening factors and their impact on learner
Certification and/or transitional report at the end of Grade 9 (KJSEA) and Pre-Vocational Level (KPLEA).

The Assessment Cycle

Assessment at JSS and Pre-Vocational level will conform to the key stages of the cycle.

Subjects for Assessment at Junior Secondary School and Pre-Vocational Level

At JSS, learners will be assessed in all the 12 core subjects and one or two optional subjects as stipulated in the Curriculum Designs; while learners at the Pre- Vocational level will be assessed in 9 subjects as indicated in Tables 7 and 8.

Table 7: Subjects for Assessment at Junior Secondary School Level

	Core Subjects		(b) Optional Subjects
1.	English	1	Visual Arts
2.	Kiswahili or KSL	2	Performing Arts
3.	Mathematics	3	Home Science
4.	Integrated Science	4	Computer Science
5.	Health Education	5	Foreign Languages: German/ French Mandarin
6.	Pre-Technical and Pre-Career Education	6	Arabic
7.	Social Studies	7	Kenyan Sign Language
8.	Religious Education (Learners choose one of the following CRE, IRE or HRE)	8	Indigenous Language
9	Business Studies
10.	Agriculture
11.	Life Skills
12.	Sports and Physical Education

Table 8: Subjects for Assessment at Pre-Vocational Level

S/No	Pre-Vocational Skills
1.	Communication, Social and Literacy Skills
2.	Daily Living Skills
3.	Mathematics Activities
4.	Music and Movement
5.	Religious Education:
6.	Christian Religious Education
7.	Hindu Religious Education
8.	Islamic Religious Education
9.	Physical and Health Education
10.	Hygiene, Nutrition and Safety
11.	Environmental Activities
12.	Social Studies.

Types of Assessment at Junior Secondary School and Pre-vocational Level

At JSS and Pre-vocational level, both formative and summative assessment will be conducted. The formative assessment will be offered in form of School Based Assessments (SBA) while the summative assessment will take the form of national assessment..

Assessment at Junior Secondary School

JSS level assessment SHALL be used for giving feedback on learning progress and identification of learner’s potential so as to guide in selection of pathways in SSS.
The assessment outcomes from both formative and summative assessment SHALL contribute to the final reporting at the end of Grade 9 at a ratio to be determined by KNEC.
KNEC SHALL provide guidelines for standardised SBA to be administered by the subject teacher at Grades 7, 8 and 9.
Teachers SHALL score the learner’s work in all subjects using the scoring guides provided by KNEC and provide immediate feedback to the learners at the school level.
A School Year Report (SYR) which is a comprehensive account of the learner’s performance SHALL be issued at the end of each year.
The scores for each learner SHALL be uploaded to the KNEC Assessment portal at the end of each year.
KNEC SHALL analyse the SBA for each grade and provide a National report showing the national performance of different strands in each subject. This report SHALL highlight areas that need intervention and give specific recommendations to the education stakeholders.
At the end of Grade 9, KNEC SHALL administer a national summative The scores for SBA and the summative assessment for each learner SHALL be combined to generate a final score.
The results SHALL be used to guide placement of learners in the different pathways in JSS.

Assessment at the Pre-Vocational Level

At Pre- Vocational level, assessment SHALL be used for giving feedback on learning progress and identification of learner’s potential to guide in selection of a course at the Vocational level.
Learners at this level SHALL not be required to attempt all the subjects but only those which they have the ability and the potential to pursue.
The assessment outcomes from both formative and summative assessment SHALL contribute to the final reporting at the end Pre-Vocational level at a ratio to be determined by KNEC.
KNEC SHALL provide guidelines for standardised SBA to be administered by the teacher at Pre-Vocational The teachers SHALL score the learner’s work in all the subjects attempted using the scoring guides provided by KNEC and provide immediate feedback to the learners at the school level.
A SYR SHALL be issued at the end of each year and the scores for each learner SHALL be uploaded to the KNEC assessment portal at the end of each year.
KNEC SHALL analyse the SBA for the Pre-Vocational learners and provide a national report showing the national performance of different strands in each learning This report SHALL highlight areas that need intervention and give specific recommendations to the education stakeholders.
At the end of Pre-Vocational level, KNEC SHALL administer a National summative The scores for SBA and the summative assessment for each learner SHALL be combined to generate a final score.
The results SHALL be used to guide placement of learners in the different courses in Vocational

Assessment Approaches, Methods and Tools applied at Junior Secondary School and Pre- Vocational Level

Varied assessment approaches, methods and tools will be applied to assess learners at the JSS and Pre- Vocational level. Assessment tasks will be contextualized, by providing scenarios that allow learners to relate and apply the knowledge and skills acquired to solve real life situations. Choice of an approach and tool will be guided by the expected learning outcomes, individual needs of the learner among others.

Approaches and Methods of Assessment

The approaches and methods to be applied in JSS and Pre- vocational assessment include but are not limited to:

Project based
Inquiry based
Collaborative and cooperative
Differentiated
Computer based
Authentic

Assessment Tools

The following assessment tools will be used at the JSS and the Pre-Vocational Level:

Observation Schedule
Checklist
Rating Scale

(v) Assessment Rubric

Questionnaire
Project Method
Journaling
Portfolio
Oral and Aural Assessment/Signing and Observing
Learner Profile
Anecdotal Records
Written Tests

Registration of Learners and Assessment Centres

KNEC SHALL administer assessment to bona fide learners who show evidence of having received instructions from an institution registered by the MoE.
Heads of all JSSs SHALL ensure that learners from their institutions are registered and assigned an assessment number.
JSS candidates MUST have taken KPSEA at Grade 6 while Pre-Vocational candidates MUST have taken KILEA at the Intermediate level

Conduct of Assessment

In conducting the assessment, KNEC SHALL:

Issue guidance in the form of circulars to heads of institutions and relevant stakeholders indicating the dates when specific assessments will be carried out.
Present assessment tools in print or electronic format as MAY be determined from time to
Provide details on the conduct of each
Monitor and report on the conduct of

Marking and Scoring

Subject teachers SHALL score learners’ work for the formative assessment at the school
KNEC SHALL organise and manage marking of the summative assessment at national

Reporting of Learners’ Achievements and Competencies

Both qualitative and quantitative approaches SHALL be adopted in reporting on learners’ performance.

School-level reporting will entail feedback from teachers to individual learners, school administration and parents.
National-level reporting will aim at informing policy

KNEC WILL adopt a four-level performance criteria for JSS. While in the Pre-Vocational level the highest performance rating will be Level 3. The performance levels SHALL be interpreted as follows:

Exceeding Expectation (Level 4): This implies that a learner demonstrates exceptional achievement in terms of technical skills, originality, creativity and initiative. However, achievement at this level should not be taken to mean that the learner has performed beyond the specified learning outcomes in the curriculum design for the grade.
Meeting Expectation (Level 3): This denotes that a learner satisfactorily demonstrates proficiency in most dimensions of the task performed in terms of technical skills, originality, creativity and initiative.
Approaching Expectation (Level 2): This implies that a learner demonstrates proficiency with some errors in the task performed in terms of technical skills, originality, creativity and initiative; and,
Below Expectation (Level 1): This indicates that the learner has difficulties in demonstrating proficiency in the task performed in terms of technical skills, originality, creativity, initiative and requires appropriate The learner gives limited information for tasks requiring multiple approaches, which is full of inaccuracies.

Reporting Tools

The following tools WILL apply when reporting learner performance:

Validated Assessment Tools. These includes observation schedules, checklist, written tests, assessment rubrics, portfolio, rating scales, questionnaires, journals, anecdotal records among others, will serve as reporting tools once validated to offer first-hand information on the learner’s acquisition of competencies.
School Year Report . This will be issued at the end of Grades 7, 8 and 9 and annually to all the learners in the Pre-Vocational It will provide a complete and comprehensive qualitative and quantitative account of learner’s progress and achievement in all the learning areas during the year in the respective grades. The SYR will also contain information on learner’s acquisition of core competencies, core values, participation in pertinent and contemporary issues, and participation in co-curricular activities.
Learner Transition Report (LTR). This will be issued to learners in the-based Pathway transiting to SSS as well as learners in the Stage-based Pathway transiting to the Vocational level.

(v) Result Slips and Certificates: A candidate statement of provisional results issued immediately after results are announced, followed by an official attestation document.

(v) Learner Exit Profile (LEP). Learners following the Stage-based Pathway may exit the formal school programme at any stage due to limitations posed by the disability or its complexity to an extent that they are unable to transit to the next level. Such learners will be issued with LEP. This profile will include a comprehensive account of learner’s acquisition of pre-vocational skills, communication skills and skills for independent living as well as acquisition of competencies and values. Learners in the Age-based pathway will be issued with LEP upon completion of Basic Education at Grade 12.

Tracking Learners’ Performance

To effectively track learners’ performance in view of nurturing their potential, performance records SHALL be maintained at two levels; at school by the teachers and at national level by KNEC: Teachers SHALL maintain records of formative assessment after uploading to the KNEC CBA portal, while KNEC SHALL maintain assessment records for both formative and summative assessment for each learner.

School and National-Level Reporting

School Specific Report: Once the scores are successfully uploaded onto the KNEC CBA portal, a school specific report will be This report compares the school performance in each strand/sub-strand/performance level with national performance for that strand/sub-strand/ performance level.
National Report: KNEC WILL analyse the results from the scores uploaded by schools and generate a report that will inform policy intervention on the cohort of This analysis will present the percentage of learners nationally with correct responses in a strand/sub-strand or at a particular performance level per subject, gender and regions among other parameters.

Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes

The following QA measures SHALL be applied in assessment at JSS and Pre-Vocational levels.

Assessment Timetables

KNEC in collaboration with MoE SHALL plan and conduct all the assessments within a particular year within the set term dates. This includes decisions on the number and estimated cost of the assessments.

Monitoring of School Based Assessments

KNEC SHALL provide guidance to teachers on the conduct, scoring (to ensure objectivity) and interpretation of scoring guides and rubrics with regard to performance of assessment This includes the capturing of scores in the scores sheet and uploading of scores in the KNEC website.
KNEC SHALL monitor and guide on the gaps resulting from learners scores that are yet to be captured in the system. Teachers will be advised appropriately.
The feedback of monitoring SHALL be utilized by test developers for amendments in test development and curriculum interpretation (as necessary).

Provision of feedback for Continual Improvement

Two types of feedback SHALL be given about a learner’s performance in relation to learning goals, outcomes or tasks. This SHOULD be SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Feedback SHOULD also be constructive and meaningful aim at improving learning. In this regard, teachers WILL:

Schedule feedback systematically, within the assessment process to inform teachers, parents, guardians and other stakeholders on performance levels, learners’ acquisition of competencies and values. This SHALL be reflected in the SYR assessment sheets, SBA reports, assessment tools such as projects, rubrics, portfolios and performance tasks score sheets.
Informal feedback give spontaneously over the phone or physical conversation and during instruction as learners perform tasks, classwork or assignments. This will require the teacher to build rapport with learners, to encourage, coach or guide them.

Marking of Assessments

KNEC WILL train teachers in the competency-based assessments, interpretation and use of scoring guides or rubrics to score learners’ work.
KNEC WILL provide the same assessment criteria to all teachers across the This will be achieved by making available identical scoring guides to teachers for marking the SBA.

(ii) Teachers will score the learners as guided by the scoring guide.

Validation of Assessment Results

KNEC will anchor all assessments for any Grade on the KICD curriculum designs for that

Subject officers will develop Tables of Specification, which will be used to weigh content from the designs and the various cognitive levels from taxonomies. This will ensure that the assessment tool is balanced in content and in cognitive levels.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities in Assessment of the JSE and Pre-vocational Level Curricula

KNEC will engage stakeholder to effectively conduct meaningful assessment at JSS and Pre- vocational level. The following are identified to play key roles:

KNEC SHALL develop standardised formative and summative assessment tools, policies and guidelines related to the conduct of assessments and reporting of learners’ performance, registration of learners for assessments and maintaining assessment data.
Learners WILL undertake assessment by adhering to all the guidelines
Parents and guardians SHALL offer the necessary support to the learners and collaborate with the teacher and other stakeholders to ensure successful conduct of assessment.
Principals SHALL support and guide teachers, learners and parents in assessment processes and enforce adherence to the laid down assessment regulations in the school.
Teachers SHALL ensure that all learners undertake the assessment as expected and report the learners’ achievements effectively.
MoE SHALL provide policy direction and quality assure all the processes related to the
KICD SHALL be responsible for providing and reviewing the curriculum for quality instruction and improvement of curriculum delivery.
Sub-County Directors and TSC SHALL be responsible for evaluating and reporting on the work of teachers and on the progress of instruction and assuring the quality and standards of instruction, learning and assessment in schools.
CSOs SHALL be responsible for conducting action research within their zones to resolve pedagogical and assessment challenges as well as offering professional support to school heads and teachers. This will include providing continual advice on instruction and assessment techniques, appropriate textbooks, lesson demonstrations and the challenges observed during assessments.