Resisting High-Stakes Testing, Transitioning to Competency-Based Assessment, and Implications for Teachers' Instructional Practices in Kenya

• In Event: Assessment, New Digital Technologies and Education

Proposal

A historical perspective of Kenya's education system reveals a strong connection to the British colonial system of education. During the colonial period, the British introduced their education system in Kenya, heavily based on examinations. This system only allowed those who performed well in exams to progress to higher levels of education, creating a small elite class of educated individuals to serve as administrators and civil servants in the colonial government (Imana, 2020). After Kenya gained independence in 1963, the education system remained largely unchanged, with a continued emphasis on examinations.

However, in recent years, there have been protest voices and activities advocating for a more inclusive, equitable and meaningful education system. These movements challenge the traditional reliance on examinations as the sole measure of academic achievement. For instance, persistent student protests, including strikes, occurring close to exams manifest the resistance against the exam-oriented education system (Chemutai et al., 2020). In response to these movements, there has been subtle shifts towards a more inclusive, holistic approach to education, focusing on developing critical thinking skills and practical knowledge (Rono & Bwamoni, 2020; Amukune, 2021; Kretzer & Oluoch-Suleh, 2022). Despite this shift, the legacy of the British colonial education system is still evident in Kenya's current education system, with a continued emphasis on examinations and academic achievement (Imana, 2020; Kavua, 2020).

In the face of these influences of coloniality, the need to decolonize the education system in Kenya becomes essential. The country serves as a testing ground for transitioning from a high-stakes examination system to a new Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) model (Kenya National Examination Council, 2021), which is aimed to respond the contextual educational needs of its population. Unlike the old system, which involved a series of high-stakes, one-off tests at the end of eight years of primary education and four years of secondary education, the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) introduced in 2017 is intended to be systematic, involving gathering information from multiple sources to make informed decisions about learners’ knowledge, learning needs and abilities. CBA is characterized by continuous assessments at various stages with a view to providing constant feedback on students’ learning needs. It is expected that teachers will use the continuous assessment results to inform how they teach, emphasizing the importance of improving learning rather than categorizing learners in terms of their performance (like it used to happen in the old system). However, it is unclear whether teachers are implementing this motive, especially as they are well-versed in examining students and preparing them to pass high-stakes exams, and this instinct is unlikely to disappear overnight. Furthermore, CBA retains a number of aspects of high-stakes testing in some grades. For example, at the end of grade 6, there is a summative assessment that is prepared and administered by the national examining body, contributing to 40% of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment.

The aim of the current study was to examine the extent to which the changes brought by CBA are influencing teachers' classroom instructional practices. Using a descriptive survey design, data was collected from 300 randomly selected primary school teachers in Kenya. Structured interviews with closed-ended questions were used to collect quantitative data, which were analyzed using statistical techniques suitable for small sample sizes. Nonparametric tests were also used to examine the possible non-normal distributions encountered with the small sample size.

The results of this study provide valuable insights for policy makers, teachers, and professional development programs to improve the use of assessments and assessment data and enhance student learning. The results shed light on areas that teachers have identified as more or less important with regards to tests and classroom teaching behavior. By considering their perspectives, the study offers a meaningful input to the ongoing and active policy debate surrounding the implementation of competence-based curriculum and exam reforms, allowing decision-makers to make more informed choices.

This paper aligns with the theme of "The Power of Protest" as it revolves around the quest for an inclusive, equitable, and meaningful education system in a postcolonial, low- to middle-income context. This form of protest challenges the conventional reliance on high-stakes examinations as the sole measure of academic achievement. It highlights the potential for alternative methods of conducting assessments and utilizing assessment data to improve the education system.

Authors

• Moses Amani Karisa, African Population & Health Research Centre

• Moses Ngware, African Population And Health Research Center

• Brenda Aromu Wawire, African Population and Health Research Center