Some of the features of CBC that stand out that we should be aware of are that:
-CBC is outcome-based and learning is geared towards the achievement of the set skills/competencies.
-Learner-Centered means it is engaging and the focus of learning is the learner.
-CBC learning is adjusted to meet the individual needs of specific learners.
CBC comes with its own assessment system, Competency-Based Assessment (CBA), whereby a student’s competency is pinned against previously set standards of performance. This is unlike formal exams, as involving a set of methodical processes that collects evidence to assist analyze learners’ progress and achievements. It involves the learners performing certain tasks and the teachers developing further learning activities to help cover any gaps identified until the pupil becomes proficient. Teachers keep and build on individual learners’ data on skills and weaknesses based on these assessments. The information is then fed to the students’ end-of-term report and informs teachers, parents, and guardians of the pupil’s termly efforts, growth, and achievements.
The new curriculum was designed to align with Vision 2030 to assist Kenya’s economy to grow and society prosper. It seeks to develop empowered and ethical citizens that are creative, able to think for themselves, have 21st-century skills. The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) focuses on the acquisition of the desired knowledge skills, values, and attitudes to enable the learner to cope with life challenges. It also focuses on the achievement of learning outcomes in terms of the desired behavioral change. Seven Core Competencies are intended to help learners fulfill their potential both in school and in life, they are communication and collaboration, self-efficacy, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and imagination, citizenship, digital literacy, and learning to learn.
With the CBC there has been a shift of focus:
