2018 EDUCATION QUALITY DIALOGUES

Presentation by:

Ministry of Education

R E P U B L IC O F K E NYA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

STATE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCAT ION

Introduction Kenya has made great strides in achieving education for all.

Among them:

Participation in ECDE has increased, from NER of 64.2% in 2012

to 74.9% in 2016.

Primary NER rose from 88% in 2012 to 91.2% in 2016.

Close to 85% of learners who complete Standard 8 make it

to secondary schools.

Secondary NER, although still low, rose from 41.7% in 2012

to 49.5% in 2016.

With Increased access there arises concern on quality of

education.

Need to collect empirical data to inform on learning

outcomes as well as conditions of learning.

Introduction –cont.- To this end , MoE, through KNEC, has regularly

conducted National assessments to monitor learner achievement.

Four (4) Monitoring Learner Achievement studies:

Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA)Baseline Study at Class 2 ( 2016).

National Assessment System for Monitoring Learner Achievement (NASMLA) at Class 3( 2016)

Southern & Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) IV at Class 6 ( 2013-2017) .

Monitoring Learner Achievement (MLA) at Form 2 (2014-2017).

Establish pupils competency levels in Literacy

and Numeracy;

Find out the personal, home-based and school-

based factors that influence the learning

outcomes of pupils/ students in Literacy and

Numeracy;

Determine the combination of inputs that are

associated with pupil / student achievement in

Literacy and Numeracy.

Purpose of National Assessments

Conceptual Framework

School Characteristics.

Type, location, school type, home

work policy, class sizes, head

teacher qualification, pupil

discipline, parental involvement,

etc.

Pupil/ Student Characteristics

Age, gender, absenteeism, socio economic

status (SES), meals, siblings, etc.

Teachers Characteristics

Age, gender, qualification,

workloads ,In-service training,

etc.

Learner Achievement

Research Design

Descriptive Survey

The sample of schools was generated using the

Sample Design Manager (SAMDEM).

Research Methodology

National Assessments

1. Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) Baseline Study

Undertaken to establish early grade mathematics competencies among

Class 2 pupils before EGM interventions.

Gathered information on pupil, teacher school and home characteristics.

Actual sample :

300 regular (public and private) schools

21 SNE schools

5,762 Class 2 pupils

325 Head teachers

325 Senior teachers

325 Class 2 Mathematics teachers

71 Curriculum Support Officers

52 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers

20 Primary Teacher Training College lecturers

National Assessments Cont… 2. National Assessment System for Monitoring Learner

Achievement (NASMLA) Class 3

Assessed Class 3 pupils in numeracy (Mathematics)and literacy (English and Kiswahili).

Assessed pupils’ acquisition of Life Skills and HIV and AIDS awareness.

Gathered information on pupil, teacher, school and home characteristics.

Sampled schools: 250

Actual sample :

247 regular (public and private) schools

5,522 Class 3 pupils

247 Head teachers

466 Class 3 teachers

National Assessments Cont…3. Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring

Educational Quality (SACMEQ) IV

Assessed Class 6 pupils competencies in Mathematics and Reading (English).

Assessed Class 6 teachers competencies in Mathematics and Reading (English).

Assessed pupils’ knowledge in Life Skills and HIV and AIDS.

Gathered information on pupil, school and home characteristics .

Sampled schools: 230

Actual sample :

5,325 Class 6 pupils

652 teachers

224 schools

224 school heads

National Assessments

4. Monitoring Learner Achievement (MLA) at Form 2

Assessed Form 2 learners competencies in numeracy (Mathematics) and literacy skills (English).

Assessed learner’s knowledge in Life Skills and HIV and AIDS.

Gathered information on pupil, school and home characteristics. Actual sample :

239 schools

5,872 Students

475 Form 2 teachers

239 Principals

KEY FINDINGS

LEARNING OUTCOMES: EGMA Class 2

20.3 20.9

37.431.8

42.7

79.7 79.1

62.668.2

57.3

0

20

40

60

80

100

Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division Number pattern

Perc

en

t

Performance per Mathematics Operation

Not achieved 50 % benchmark Achieved 50 % benchmark

A considerable percentage of Class 2 pupils did not reach the 50%

benchmark in most mathematical operations especially multiplication,

division and number patterns.

LEARNING OUTCOMES :EGMA Class 2

99.295

90.2

59.2 57.3 55.6 54.7 54.2 54 5450.5

45.7

0

20

40

60

80

100

Mo

mb

asa

Kir

inyag

a

Th

ara

ka N

ith

i

Tra

ns

Nzi

oa

West

Po

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Vih

iga

Meru

Tu

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a

Kit

ui

Wajir

Bu

ng

om

a

Sam

bu

ru

High performing Low performing

Perc

en

t

% of pupil reaching 50% & above benchmark in selected

counties in EGMA Mathematics

Lowest achievement levels observed among pupils from counties in

ASAL areas such as West Pokot, Turkana, Wajir and Samburu.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: NASMLA Class 3: Numeracy

Level Description of Competency

% of

pupils

Level 1

Applies single step addition or subtraction operations (e.g. add

numbers without carrying over, subtract without borrowing).

Counts in whole numbers. 83.1

Level 2

Applies a two-step addition or subtraction operation involving

carrying over and borrowing. Applies simple multiplication

operations involving multiples of 10. Recognizes simple fractions.

Divides whole numbers. Identifies lines and patterns. 71.1

Level 3

Translates information presented in a sentence into one

arithmetic operation. Interprets place value of whole numbers up

to thousands. Adds and subtracts simple fractions. Interprets

simple common everyday units of measurement such as days,

weeks, litres, metres and shillings. 36.1

Level 4

Translates information presented in sentences into simple

arithmetic operations. Uses multiple arithmetic operations (in the

correct order) on whole numbers.5 4.5

A considerably high percentage of pupils is not attaining high order skills

in Mathematics; 95.5% did not attain Level 4 competencies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES : NASMLA Class 3: Literacy

Level Competency Description

English

% of

learners

Kiswahili

% of

learners

Level 1

Pre-reading: Matches words and pictures involving

concrete concepts and everyday objects. Arranges words

in alphabetical order. 14.9 10.5

Level 2

Emergent reading: Spells correctly simple everyday words

and recognizes missing letters in such words. Uses familiar

words to complete simple everyday sentences. 60.1 63.1

Level 3

Basic reading: Uses correct punctuation in simple

sentences. Interprets meaning by matching words and

phrases. Identifies the main theme of a picture. 38.1 69.2

Level 4

Reading for meaning: Links and interprets information

located in various parts of a short passage. Infers meaning

from short passages. Understands and Interprets meaning

of a picture and writes short sentences to describe the

theme. 28.6 47.1

Majority of the pupils have not acquired basic skills in literacy; 85.1% and

90.5% did not attain Level 1 competencies in English and Kiswahili

respectively..

NASMLA Class 3: Achievement per county

60

8.7

59

5.4

58

3.2

50

0.2

40

0.1

43

0.6

43

1.9

61

1.6

60

6.7

59

5.6

49

9.5

41

1.2

43

0.6

43

2.4

61

5.4

59

7.6

56

9

50

0.2

38

9

39

7.8

42

4.9

0

200

400

600K

irin

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Th

ara

ka N

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Em

bu

Nati

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Man

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Bu

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Mars

ab

it

Nair

ob

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Tait

a T

aveta

Mo

mb

asa

Nati

on

al

Mars

ab

it

West

Po

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Tu

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Mo

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Tait

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aveta

Th

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Mars

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Man

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High Low High Low High Low

Maths English Kiswahili

Mean

sco

res

Achievement levels in numeracy and literacy in selected counties

Low achievement in numeracy and literacy skills is observed mainly among

pupils from counties in ASAL areas.

LEARNING OUTCOMES : SACMEQ IV: Class 6

Region Reading Mean Mathematics Mean

Nairobi 657.9 689.6

Central 600.1 613.1

North Eastern 589.5 676.1

Eastern 585.9 612.6

Nyanza 573.2 614.5

Rift Valley 571.3 603.3

Coast 564.1 608

Western 557.5 573.1

National 577.6 608.1

• Higher national mean realized in Mathematics than in English.

• Lowest achievement levels in Reading and Mathematics recorded in

Western region with a mean score of 557.5 and 573.1 respectively.

• However, regionally Kenya was position 2 and 3 in Numeracy and

Literacy respectively.

SACMEQ IV: Teacher performance

A notable decline in performance

of teachers in Reading except in

North Eastern.

Nyanza had the highest decline at

-64.0 mean score points.

Indeed there was a percentage of

teachers ( 1.2%) operating at Level

LEARNING OUTCOMES : MLA Form 2

28.9 32.7

11.2 10.518.7 14.6

30.020.2 20.8

71.1 67.3

88.8 89.581.3 85.4

7079.8 79.2

0

20

40

60

80

100P

erc

en

t

Numeracy Achievement Levels in MLA Form 2

Achieved minimum competency Not achieved minimum competency

Considerably high percentages of Form 2 students have not

attained minimum competency levels in specific areas in

Mathematics, most of which are covered from primary level.

LEARNING OUTCOMES : MLA Form 2 Literacy

76.3

55.9 50.461.4

69.3 62.7

23.7

44.1 49.638.6

30.7 37.3

0

20

40

60

80

100

Listening &

Speaking

Reading

comprehension

Writing Grammar Literary Skills Total

Pe

rce

nt

Literacy Achievement Levels in MLA Form 2

Achieved minimum competency Not achieved minimum competency

Form 2 students continue to demonstrate low acquisition of literacy

skills especially higher order literacy skills such as Writing and Reading

Comprehension.

Achievement of Competencies in Literacy and Numeracy

Low achievement levels in literacy are more prevalent in

ASAL counties.

Low levels of literacy and numeracy skills start at early

grades and persist in secondary level.

Generally, girls perform better in literacy, especially at early

grades; boys perform better in numeracy.

Older pupils achieve less than younger pupils indicating

that overage affects learning outcomes.

Urban and private schools perform better than their rural

and urban counterparts respectively.

Summary of the findings from the EGMA Class 2, NASMLA

Class 3, SACMEQ IV and MLA Form 2 studies

Pupils from high socio economic background

perform better than those from low socio economic

status.

Pupils sharing text books with more than one

colleague perform worse than those not sharing.

Pupils having regular meals perform better those not

having regular meals.

Pupils whose parents meet teachers regularly perform

better than those whose parents don’t frequently

meet teachers.

Achievement of Competencies in Literacy and

Numeracy (Cont.)

Pupil overage persists- 40.5 % of Class 3 pupils were

overage.

Overage more prevalent in ASAL counties.

Garissa recorded the highest percentage( 98%).

Class repetition in SACMEQ IV rose from 48.2% in

2007 to 53.3% in 2013- mostly in Nyanza (60.3%),

Western (57.3%) R/Valley (54.6) and Coast (54.1%).

Pressure from Parents and low achievement were

cited as main causes of class repetition.

Pupil / Student Characteristics

Pupil /Student Characteristics Cont…

Drop out: in MLA, Form 2 more boys than girls dropped

out.

Financial constraints, truancy, low academic

achievement, marriage and pregnancies were cited

as reasons for drop out.

Gender disparity: Near gender parity in Class 3, at Class 6 there are more boys than girls enrolled in schools in

North Eastern Region (ASAL areas).

North Eastern had the lowest percentage of girls

enrolled.

Pupil absenteeism still persists; 52% of pupils and 59.6% of

pupils in EGMA and NASMLA respectively reported to

have been absent during the term.

Sickness was cited as the most common reason

for absenteeism

Highest level of absenteeism was reported in

ASAL counties with Marsabit ( 97.7%) and

Mandera (93.9%) leading in NASMLA Class 3

study.

EGMA Baseline study , Head teacher cited lack

of food as a cause of absenteeism(76.1%)

Pupil/ student discipline – truancy cited as one of

the forms of indiscipline among pupils.

Discipline cited as one of the factors affecting

leaning outcomes.

Level of HIV/AIDS awareness is satisfactory

although there is stigma associated with HIV/Aids

among Class 3 learners.

Pupil /Student Characteristics –Cont.-

Pupil/Student Characteristics –Cont…

Provision of Regular meals- Considerable

percentage of Pupils do not have regular meals.

Marsabit had the highest percentage( 32.5%)

of Class 3 pupils not taking supper regularly

and also the highest percentage of

absenteeism.

Kwale( 37.5%) and Busia( 35.5%) had the

highest percentages of Class 3 pupils not

taking breakfast regularly.

ICT Skills – Only 31.9 % of Class 3 pupils reported to have been exposed to computer/laptops

Teacher Absenteeism : in EGMA 36% of teachers

reported to be absent without permission.

Teacher Discipline : Skipping classes and lateness to

class are prevalent among Class 6 and Form 2

teachers.

Syllabus coverage : Inadequate teachers (64.7 %),

time wastage (57.5 %), frequent absenteeism by

pupils (50.9 %) ) and teachers (47.7 %), failure to

prepare schemes of work(45.3%),inadequate

training(39.4%),low teacher morale (37.9%) and

weak administration( 35.2%) affected to a large

extent syllabus coverage at Class 3.

Teacher, H/Teacher & School Characteristics

Teacher, H/Teacher & School Characteristics Cont…

ICT Skills: Teachers lack requisite ICT skills

There is low integration of ICT in enhancing

learning.

Testing : Significant percentage of teachers (39.7%)

frequently used commercially sourced tests,

compromising quality of learning and assessment.

Professional development: A number of teachers

have never attended in-service courses.

Weak pedagogy: Considerable percentage of

Class 3 teachers are not motivated to mark their

pupils work.

A significant percentage of Class 2 teachers

does not use lesson plans and lesson notes.

Staffing :Overall shortage of class 3 teachers-

27.7%

ASAL counties experiencing more teacher

shortages.

West Pokot(75.0%), Narok( 73.8%),

Mandera( (73.0%),Tiata Taveta (

72.6%),Kajiado(71.0%), Kitui ( 70.1%).

Learners with Special needs and disabilities: Large

percentage of Class 3 teachers (57.7%) had learners

with special needs and disabilities.

Teachers and Head teachers lack requisite skills to

handle learners with special needs and disabilities.

Lack of assistive devises and facilities adapted for

learners with special needs and disabilities.

Desired Pupil toilet ratio not realized.

Teacher, H/Teacher & School Characteristics- Cont.-

Some regions do not have Educational Assessment

and Resource Centres to identify and support learnerswith special needs.

Performance Appraisal System -Teachers and head

teachers lack adequate training in Performance

Appraisal Systems.

Only 16.8% of Class 3 teachers were familiar with PAS to a

large extent.

Professional development -Majority of head teachers

have not received in-service training in institutional

(school) management.

Lack of adequate instructional materials, the 1:1 pupil

book ratio had not been attained.

Teacher, H/Teacher & School Characteristics- Cont.-

Teacher, H/Teacher & School Characteristics- Cont.-

Support in Curriculum Implementation Lack of regular assessments by DQASO

over 70.0 % of Form 2 teachers reported not to have been assessed on curriculum implementation within a period of four years preceding the time of data collection.

Considerable percentage( 34.2%) of head teachers did not monitor class attendance by Class 2 teachers

Inadequate parental involvement in theirchildren’s learning:Majority (68%) of Class 2 teachers

reported that parents did not checktheir children’s homework.

Policy Commitments/Suggestions

Need to dialogue on: Improved pedagogy to enhance acquisition of high

order skills in numeracy and literacy.

Focus on early learning/ECDE to ensure acquisition of requisite competencies before joining Grade 1.

Mitigating overage by reinforcing school entry age and class repetition policies.

Enhancing instructional supervision so as to ensure that teachers embrace best practices in curriculum delivery.

Strengthening of institutional based quality assurance.

Continuous capacity building of teachers in their subject areas as well as in ICT and SNE.

Policy Commitments/Suggestions -Cont.-

Distribution of teachers across counties.

Pupil and Teacher absenteeism.

ICT infrastructure- provision, utilization and

maintenance.

Utilization of, and enhanced accountability

for textbooks to ensure the 1:1 policy is

adhered to.

Child friendly schools.

School Feeding Programmes- to be

enhanced, more significantly in ASAL areas.

Education Quality Dialogues

34