Sociology of Assessment with Reference to Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) Assessment in Kenya

Abstract

Competency-Based Education (CBE) has emerged as a significant reform effort in educational systems worldwide. At its core, CBE focuses on students demonstrating mastery of specific skills and knowledge. In the field of education, people and performances are counted, graded, evaluated and judged for a wide variety of purposes. How and why have such practices evolved? What social purposes do they serve? What are the implications of assessment practices of all kinds for individuals and for segments of society such as different socioeconomic or ethnic groups? These are some of the important questions about the relationship between education, assessment and society that constitute a ‘sociology of assessment’. It is increasingly acknowledged that educational assessment is a deeply social activity, a social construct and a social tool that reflects the needs of a given society at a given time. It is a tool of great social power and needs to be understood as such. The question that underpins the sociology of educational assessment is as follows - how does assessment affect contemporary educational policy, provision and practice? Educational assessment plays a crucial role in shaping learners; academic trajectories, career opportunities, and social mobility. A sociological approach to scrutinizing educational assessment provides theoretical and practical tools to challenge the long-established assumption that the language of educational assessment in the form of grades, marks, levels and percentages is objective, accurate, fair, and meaningful. The sociology of assessment examines how assessment practices shape individuals, social structures, and societal norms, going beyond the technical aspects of evaluation to consider its social functions and consequences. In this regard, this paper explores sociological perspectives on educational assessment with specific reference to the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya. The main objective of this paper is to explore the sociological dimensions of assessment practices within Kenya’s CBC framework. From a sociological standpoint, various theories offer distinct insights into how assessments function within society - such as conflict theory, functionalism, symbolic interactionism and feminist theory - interpret educational assessment in the Kenyan context, especially in light of the transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The paper argues that for CBC assessment to be meaningful and equitable, it must be critically aligned with the socio-cultural and economic realities of Kenyan learners. For educators and academics, this paper offers a reflective social lens on the role of assessment in shaping educational experiences and outcomes, while also providing insights into creating more inclusive, context-responsive assessment strategies within competency-based education systems.