COMPETENCE BASED

ASSESSMENT
Introduction
The need for competency-based assessment is gearing
up in today’s dynamic world, where the stress is on
sharpening current capabilities and developing new
ones in order to stay ahead.
Competency-based assessment is commonly used in
educational and professional settings to evaluate an
individual's readiness for a particular job or to assess
their progress toward specific learning outcomes. It is
often used in conjunction with competency-based
education or training programs, which focus on
developing and improving specific competencies
required for a particular role or profession.
Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at
understanding and improving student learning.
 It involves making expectations explicit and
public; setting appropriate criteria and high
standards for learning quality; systematically
gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence
to determine how well performance matches
those expectations and standards, and using the
resulting information to document, explain, and
improve performance.
Competency-based Assessment Definition
 A competency-based assessment refers to any tool
that is used to measure the observable behaviours
that successful performers demonstrate while working
on any given job. These behaviours are the result of
various abilities, knowledge, motivations, traits and
skills an employee may possess.
 The right competency-based assessment should
be based on clear job requirements and produce
consistent and reliable results. This
enables competency-based assessments to be an accu
rate predictor of overall job
Competency-based assessment is an approach to
evaluating an individual's knowledge, skills, and
abilities based on specific competencies or job
requirements. It focuses on measuring an individual's
ability to perform a task or function and their potential
for success in a particular role.
Competency-based assessment typically involves
identifying the key competencies required for a
particular job or role and designing assessments or
evaluations that measure an individual's proficiency in
these areas.
This can involve a variety of methods, such as
performance-based assessments, simulations, and
observations of job-related tasks.
CBAs are opportunities created for students to apply
the skills and methods they have learned in their
lessons to real world problems and situations to
determine if students can synthesize, apply, and
evaluate their learning in a purposeful way.
 The skills in focus should be transferable, that is, skills
that are related to being “thinkers” or “contributors”
to the world around us, like collaborating with a
group or communicating their reasoning. The focus is
on skills rather than content. Content is readily
accessible at the touch of a finger these days, but
skills take time to develop, nurture, and finesse.
 Competency-based assessment in education typically
begins with a self-assessment, where students reflect on
their abilities and goals and create a profile for what
they feel are strengths and what are areas to develop.
 It may surprise many to hear that students can do this
as young as pre school! Simply identifying on a scale of
1-4 how comfortable they are with a new skill initiates
the self-assessment process. After this step, teachers
will provide students with learning opportunities aligned
with the goals that are by and large collaboratively-
designed and provide authentic formative assessments
for students to assess their progress along the way.
What are the Benefits of Competency-Based
Assessment?
Competency-based assessment provides myriad of
benefits,
(i) involvement and engagement of the learner.
(ii) Students are both motivated by authentic tasks
and also become involved in reflecting on their
own learning and leading their own goal setting
when competency-based assessment is
meaningfully embedded into classroom practice.
(iii) When students see purpose in the assessment at
hand, like a performance task that requires students
to utilize math skills to navigate a multi-step real
world problem, student engagement increases and
in turn provides a truer picture of what students are
able to do because of their desire to demonstrate
their abilities.
(iv) competency-based assessment affords
opportunities for teachers to naturally involve
students in the cycle of continuous improvement,
bringing students back to analyze and discuss their
work, track progress over time, and set new goals
for themselves as learners and thinkers that they
can measure with future CBAs.
How is CBA different from regular examinations?
 An examination such as KCPE or KCSE is a battery of tests written
by a candidate to demonstrate their level of theoretical knowledge
at the end of a learning cycle and for certification. An examination
is usually one-off and is done after the instruction has taken place.
 It is often a mark of completion of a learning phase and its purpose
is mainly to inform learner placement at subsequent levels.
 On the other hand, an assessment, such as the CBA, is a systematic
way of collecting information and documenting what the learner
knows and can do before they learn, as they learn and as they
transit from one level to another based on specified competencies
and criteria.
 CBA uses a wider variety of tools and gives opportunities to
learners, peers, teachers and parents to track the progress of the
learner through real time feedback mechanisms.
Shift in assessment
Traditional assessment
• Assessment of learning (summative assessment)
• Assessment of knowledge acquired through
rote learning
• Norm referenced
• Encourages competition
• Rigid (prescribed duration)
• Teacher and national assessment
Competency based assessment
• Assessment for and as learning (formative
assessment)
• Assessment of competencies development
• Criterion referenced
• Encourages collaboration and cooperation
• Flexible based on the pace of the learner
• Include self and peer assessment
What are the types of assessments in CBA?
The following are the ways CBA is structured for
institutionalization in CBC.
(a) Classroom assessment: This is a continuous assessment and is
carried out at the entire basic level of education (thus, at early
years, middle school and at senior school). The teacher
develops the assessment tools.
b) School-based assessment: This assessment starts from Grade
4 to Grade 12. KNEC develops and uploads the tools for this
assessment on the Council’s website. The teacher downloads
the tools from the website and administers them to the
learners.
(c) Summative assessment: The National Assessment shall be
carried out at Grades 6, 9 and 12 to inform policy and
education stakeholders on level specific interventions for
quality education of our learners
When are the assessments done?
(a) Before learning (diagnostic assessment)
(b) During teaching and learning (formative
assessment)
(c) At the end of teaching and learning
(summative assessment)
At what levels will the assessment be done?
(i) At the end of Pre-Primary 2: The learners are
assessed internally then all transition to Grade 1 in
Lower Primary (Grades 1, 2, 3).
(ii) At Grade 3: They take a school-based national
assessment that is not used for ranking or placement,
after which they all proceed to Upper Primary
(Grades 4, 5, 6).
(iii) Upper Primary assessments: Learners are assessed at
each of the Upper Primary grades to track their
learning progress ahead of the National assessment
(iv) Assessment at Grade 6. The school-based assessments
will account for 60 per cent of the total score.
(v) At Grade 6: A summative assessment is administered at
the end of Grade 6 which will comprise the remaining
40 per cent of the total scores. This marks the end of
the primary cycle. Performance of the learners at this
level and their interests will be used to place them in
junior secondary school (JSS, Grades 7, 8 and 9).
(vi)At Grade 9: Learners will again be formatively assessed
with a summative assessment at the end of JSS (Grade
9). Their scores and preferences will be used for
placement in senior secondary school (SSS) where they
will follow one of their preferred career pathways
Purpose of Assessment
The general purpose of assessment is to establish
the extent to which the learner has acquired the
expected competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes
and values).
It helps to diagnose and monitor learners progress
and provides feedback for appropriate instruction
and policy interventions to be effected at various
tiers in basic education. The purpose of assessment
is to:
1. provide feedback on acquisition of competencies to
the learner, teacher, parents/guardians and other
interested stakeholders;
2. identify areas of concern in relation to the curriculum
learning outcomes/competencies as a basis for
providing appropriate intervention;
3. identify learners’ potential and talent with a view of
developing and nurturing them;
4. encourage learners’ to develop skills of self and peer
assessment and to be responsible for their own
learning;
5. help the teacher improve instructional strategies;
6. highlight gaps in provision of resources that
support the implementation of curriculum;
7. inform parents/guardians on learners’ specific
educational needs for support;
8. inform policy makers and curriculum
developers on areas to target for appropriate
intervention;
9. inform decision on transition and exit profile.
Principles of Assessment
The following guiding principles provide a
foundation for the development of classroom
assessments, national assessments, and
reporting of learners’ achievement and growth.
1. Validity
It is the extent to which an assessment accurately
measures what it is intended to measure. It
provides evidence about appropriateness of the
inferences, uses, and consequences that come
from the assessment.
 Validity ensures that assessment tasks and
associated criteria effectively measure
learner attainment of the intended learning
outcomes at the appropriate level.
The following are the different types of validity:
a. face validity (the extent to which the
assessment items appear to be appropriate);
b. content validity (the extent that the
assessment adequately samples the set
curriculum content);
c. construct validity (the extent to which an assessment
measures the traits intends to measure);
d. concurrent validity, refers to (the ability of a tool to
measure current level of performance using a set
criteria);
e. predictive validity (how well existing learners’ scores
accurately predict future learners’ performance). In
the Early Years Education, validity of the assessment
tools is enhanced by aligning them to the learning
outcomes specified in the curriculum designs
2. Reliability
 Reliability is the extent to which the same task
would produce identical results if the task is
administered to the same learners under the same
conditions.
A reliable assessment task is consistent in its
conditions across two or more administrations;
gives clear directions for scoring / evaluation, has
uniform rubrics for scoring/evaluation, lends itself
to consistent application of the rubrics by the
scorer, and contains items / tasks that are
unambiguous to the learner.
 Assessments employ clear and consistent
processes for setting, moderation, administration,
scoring and grading of assessment tasks. This
ensures reliability of the assessment.
There are four types of reliability in assessment:
a. Test-retest reliability that measures the
consistency of results when you repeat the same
task on the same sample at a different point in
time;
b. Interrater reliability (also called interobserver
reliability) that measures the degree of
agreement between different raters assessing
the same task;
c. Equivalent forms reliability that measures the
correlation between two equivalent versions of
a task
d. internal consistency reliability that assesses the
correlation between multiple items in a test that
are intended to measure the same construct
3. Fairness
 Fairness in educational assessment is closely
related to the societal concepts of equality,
equity, and justice.
Competence Based Assessment are transparent
to ensure that learners are aware of how they
will be assessed, when and by whom. To ensure
fairness, the CBA tools are adapted to cater for
learners with disabilities in terms of assessment
methods and content, administration, scoring
and interpretation procedures.
4. Flexibility
 Flexibility in assessment is the use of varied methods
to collect evidence of learning. Assessment is,
therefore, responsive to the needs of the situation
and the learner.
 The CBA tools include different formats of assessment
e.g. performance tasks, oral tasks, written tests,
multiple choice questions, and an integrated
approach to ensure learners are provided with an
opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can
do.
5. Accessibility
 Accessibility is the extent to which an assessment task and
its constituent items is presented in a manner that
accommodates all learners who are eligible to take the
assessment.
 Accessibility must be considered from the outset when
designing assessments; otherwise learners with disabilities
could be unintentionally disadvantaged. It is therefore of
paramount importance to ensure that the assessment
evaluates learning outcomes and not the speed, manual
dexterity, vision, hearing, or physical endurance of the
learner.
 By developing an alternative pathway for learners with
severe disabilities, the CBA tools are adapted and modified
to accommodate learners with severe disabilities.
6. Practicability
Practicability refers to the economy of time,
effort and cost in assessment.
An assessment task should be easy to design,
administer, mark / score and interpret the
results.
The CBA tools are specific to the intended
learning outcomes and are administered within
the limits of time and resources available.
7. Authenticity
 Authenticity is the extent to which assessment tasks relate
to real-life experiences. Authenticity is seen when learners
demonstrate their deep understanding by solving real-life
challenges.
 The CBA adapts the Portfolio approach for both classroom
and national assessments. This presents an opportunity
for the learners to be assessed on real-life experiences in
the process of accomplishing most of the tasks prescribed.
 The focus is on the assessment of direct performance on a
real-life or a simulation of a real-life task whose evidence
is captured and maintained to track progress and
attainment
8 .Sufficiency
The assessor must collect sufficient evidence of
competence from the learner so as to reach an
assessment decision.
The quantity of the evidence must be appropriate
so that the assessor has sufficient information on
which to reliably make a judgement.
CBA assessment provides multiple tools and
opportunities for learners to demonstrate what
they know and can do.
9. Timely Feedback
 Timely feedback that promotes learning and facilitates
improvement should be an integral part of the assessment
process.
 Feedback develops the learners’ capability to monitor,
evaluate and regulate their own learning. Learners are
therefore entitled to immediate feedback on submitted
formative assessment tasks, and on summative tasks, where
appropriate.
 The feedback given must be constructive, timely and
meaningful. In CBA, the nature of assessment tasks ensures
that learners as well as teachers receive immediate feedback
during the administration of the assessment. Further
feedback is provided after scoring and analysis.
10. Collaborative Assessment
should involve self, peer, and teacher’s assessment for
ownership and maximum benefit to the learner.
11. Currency
The assessment process should provide recognition of
current competencies. It is the evidence that needs to
be checked to ensure it shows recent performance. In
assessment, the assessor should be assured that the
assessment evidence demonstrates current
competencies. This requires the assessment evidence
to be obtained from the present or from the very
recent past.
Types of Assessment
1. Formative Assessment
 In formative assessment, teachers use assessment as
exploratory tools to monitor the progress of an individual
learner on acquisition of the specified competencies. It
involves gathering data during the learning process to
provide feedback to both the learner and teacher to help
improve learning.
 Formative assessments target to use a variety of assessment
tools to address the different learning styles of the learners
and the learning environment in which they operate.
Classroom assessment should be included in the planning for
the lesson and be integrated in the delivery of the lesson to
support learning. There are two types of formative
assessment:
a) Assessment for learning is assessment designed
and administered by the teacher during the learning
process to diagnose and monitor the learner’s
learning progress. Example is classroom assessment.
b) Assessment as learning is the assessment where
learners evaluate the quality of their own work,
measure their performance with the stated goals
and learning outcomes, identify the strengths and
weaknesses in their work and implement revision
accordingly. Examples include peer and self-
assessments.
2. Summative Assessment (Assessment of Learning)
 Is the assessment undertaken at the end of a learning period
to provide information and feedback that sum up the
competencies acquired by the learner. Examples include end of
term assessment, end of year assessment and end of course
assessment.
 Summative assessment will impress synoptic assessment
where learners will be required to show their ability to
integrate and apply their skills, knowledge and understanding
across the breadth and depth of the learning areas.
 Synoptic assessment measures the Learner’s capability of
applying the knowledge and skills gained in one part of the
learning area to other parts of the learning area, or across the
learning areas as a whole. Synoptic assessment therefore
enhances the links between different parts of a curriculum
design and reduces compartmentalized learning.
3. Classroom Assessment
They are activities designed and carried out by the
teacher during the learning process to diagnose and
monitor the learner’s learning progress.
Classroom assessment aims at establishing the
learner’s strengths and areas requiring
improvement for appropriate intervention.
4. National Assessment
This is a large scale assessment for monitoring the
learners’ progress on the acquisition of the
specified competencies.