How Knec administers CBC tests to students with special needs.
For students with special needs, the competency-based curriculum is implemented somewhat differently because there are two pathways: one based on age and the other on stage.
The Kenya National Examination Council states that students with moderate conditions, hearing, vision, or physical impairments follow the age-based pathway, which is comparable to the standard curriculum of 2-6-3-3.
Conversely, the stage-based method is intended for students with severe and intellectual disabilities, according to Anne Ngatia, deputy director of the Knec Research Innovation and Educational Assessment Resource Center.
According to her, the stage-based method follows the standard curriculum’s four levels.
The foundational level is the first.
According to Ngatia, students are categorized at this level based on how severe their disabilities are.
“At the foundational, or entry-level, level, educators ensure that students possess fundamental communication and hygiene skills. A student gets advanced to the intermediate level if they have previously attained that, whether at home or somewhere else, according to Ngatia.
For stage-based learners, age is truly irrelevant because it is possible to be 15 years old and yet lack basic hygiene, communication, and numeracy abilities.
“We tend not to talk of their age because you find that they are there because of their disabilities until they acquire skills prescribed for that level,” she continued.
The Knec official stated that assessments are given to students when they are prepared, as opposed to following a set timetable as in a typical curriculum.
The two curricula cannot be compared since the stage-based learners advance independently based on the abilities they have acquired, while the age-based learners follow a set program year after year.
“We don’t provide evaluations to learners depending on their level of development at the end of the term or year. When they’re ready, we let them sit. They don’t travel collectively. Those who are ready will be presented by the teachers,” she declared.
Based on their limitations, Knec decided to make examinations performance-based, according to Ngatia.
There isn’t a written exam for this group of students, she explained.
This implies that they work on a task while the instructor watches and assigns grades. You can ask them to recognize their own clothing or ask them to show certain hygienic practises. Performance-based assessment is what we refer to it as “Ngatia said.
According to her, the teacher grades the student’s performance by using a scoring guide while they watch them.
According to Ngatia, the stage-based road will feature formative and summative tests that will be merged for grading, just like the age-based/normal pathway.
However, she added that under the stage-based approach, summative assessments are completed by students when they are prepared to move on from a given learning level.
When prepared to go on to the next level, this learner cadre will take the Kenya Foundational Level Education Assessment as the summative exam at the foundational level.
The formative/school evaluation has seven learning categories, referred to as the intermediate level.
When the student is prepared to move on to the next level, they will take the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment at this second level.
The Pre-vocational level is the third level.
“This level is predominantly skill-based because the learners here are introduced to pre-requisite skills in various vocational areas to enable them identify their abilities in a given field,” Ngatia stated.
“They start doing beadwork and other practicals like woodworking. In order to help them discover their interests, they are being exposed to a variety of careers.”
Upon reaching the final level, students take the summative Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment.
According to the Knec official, the results of each evaluation are used to determine whether to move on to the next round.
However, at this specific level (pre-vocational), the learner based on stages can move forward into the workforce.
This is due to the fact that some people are incapable of rising above this point. However, Ngatia added, “those who are able can advance to the vocational level, which is the highest level.”
Ngatia stated that it is doubtful that this student will be able to attend a university given the type of coursework they have completed.
“According to our framework, they will enter the workforce since, in order to attend college, they must have obtained the necessary skills and completed the written documentation, which they were not doing. They were practicing more useful skills, the woman claimed.
After specializing in a skill of their choice, students proceed to the Vocational Level, their last level, where they will take the Kenya Vocational Level Education Assessment.
Knec added that the assessments will be differentiated to meet the various needs of the students.
As a result, different evaluation techniques and instruments are used depending on the needs of the students.
For example, the evaluation process for students with motor impairments will include activities that call for restricted movement and manipulation.
The focus of the examination for students with visual impairments will be manipulation-intensive tasks.
The evaluation will make full use of the senses of sight, hard of hearing abilities, and sign language for individuals with hearing impairments.
The assessment of deafblind, autistic, and multi-disabled students will primarily focus on performance-based tasks.
While exams for brilliant and talented students will include more difficult, sophisticated tasks.
Knec has also made changes to the way special needs students are assessed as part of the age-based pathway that follows the regular curriculum.
According to Knec, it has provided reading materials in braille and given students with visual impairments more time for their exams.
Additionally, the students will receive training in task adaptation.
Knec stated that the evaluation materials will be offered in an expanded font for students with low eyesight.
Assessments for students with hearing impairments will be given in a language that is appropriate for them. Additionally, Knec will evaluate them in Kenya Sign Language.
Students with physical disabilities will receive additional time in addition to support as outlined in the functional assessment report.
For manipulative assignments like practical papers, the students will also receive hands-on guidance.
Additionally, their capacity to adjust to various jobs will be evaluated.
How Knec administers CBC tests to students with special needs.
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