MINISTRY OF PRIMARY AND

SECONDARY EDUCATION
COMPETENCE BASED
CURRICULUM
ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

SYLLABUS INTERPRETATION
 WHAT IS A SYLLABUS?
• A document that guides teaching, learning and
assessment
• An official document from MoPSE that stipulates
content to be taught in a learning area.
• A syllabus specifies:
-aims to be realised
-objectives to be achieved
-content for teaching and learning and methodology
to be used
-how learners will be assessed
• A syllabus must be followed religiously
SYLLABUSES FOR THE COMPETENCE BASED
CURRICULUM

• The syllabuses cover learning

areas for:
-Infant Level—ECD A to Grade 2
-Junior Level---Grade 3 to Grade 7
-Ordinary Level----Form 1 to 4
-Advanced Level---Form 5 to 6
 SYLLABUS COMPONENTS
• Preamble (Introduction, Rationale, Summary
of content, assumptions, cross cutting themes)
• Aims
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Topics
• Scope and Sequence
• Content/Competence Matrix
• Assessment Objectives
• Scheme of Assessment
 PREAMBLE
• Introduction:
-Introduces the syllabus to learners,
assessors and curriculum planners
and implementers
-Specifies the intention of the
syllabus
-Specifies syllabus requirements
 RATIONALE
• Contains a brief statement on the philosophy of
teaching the Learning Area
• Indicates where the course fits in the curriculum or
education system
• Justifies the importance of teaching the course and
the importance of the course to learners
• Specifies carrier progression in the learning area
• Highlights the link of the course to industry and
commerce
• Summarises the overall skills(competencies) to be
developed and knowledge to be gained in the
learning area
 ASSUMPTIONS
• These specify learners’ prior knowledge
and skills of the course
• Indicate what learners already know in the
learning area
• Outline prior learner competencies
• Indicate courses already completed before
embarking on the learning area
• Indicate skills acquired in prior Learning
Areas
 CROSS CUTTING THEMES
• Are important curriculum content which is to
be covered across Learning Areas (disciplines
or learning areas) rather than being taught or
learnt in one particular Learning Areas
• The themes can connect programme content
across disciplinary boundaries
• The themes enrich the curriculum without
overloading it through the introduction of
additional teaching Learning Areas
• Themes facilitate interdisciplinary thinking and
collaborative learning
 CROSS CUTTING THEMES
• Examples of cross cutting themes:
-Disaster and risk management
-HIV and AIDS,
-Gender
- Environmental issues
-ICT
-Inclusivity
-Cultural diversity
-Business and financial literacy
-Communication and team building
-Enterprise skills
NB 1. Facilitators should use cross cutting themes in concept development.
2. Facilitators should employ cross cutting themes in the development
of CA instruments.
 PURPOSE OF CROSS CUTTING THEMES
• Motivate and encourage pupils’ learning in a empathetic
way in conjunction with their wider life experiences
• Draw on similarities in and between individual subjects
(in terms of Learning Areas content pedagogical devices
and learning experiences) and make these links explicit
in various ways
• Provide active and experiential learning for pupils
• Contribute towards a broad range of teaching and
learning opportunities located within individual Learning
Area teaching across Learning Area and in relationship to
specific external curriculum themes or dimensions
• Promote learners’ cognitive , personal and social
development in an integrated way
 AIMS
• Are broad statements of educational intent
• An aim is a relatively long term goal
• Sometimes an aim sets a goal for the teacher to achieve
in relation to the learners
• Sometimes course aims explicitly list long-term goals for
the learner and at other times there is a joint goal for
the teacher and learner to achieve together.
• While the aim may be phrased as a goal for the teacher
within the scope of the course it can also imply goals for
the learner beyond the duration of the course.
• Aims can be achieved during the course or after the
course has been taught- outcome, output& the Impact
of the programme
 OBJECTIVES
• An objective is a (relatively) shorter term goal which successful
learners will achieve within the scope of the course itself
• Objectives are worded in a way that explains to learners what
they should try to achieve as they learn
• Objectives and learning outcomes are categorised into three
levels:
-Cognitive domain-encompasses intellectual or thinking skills.
These are called knowledge objectives
-Psychomotor domain-encompasses physical skills or the
performance of actions. These are termed skills objectives
-Affective domain-encompasses attitudes and values. These are
called attitudes objectives
-Objectives are core to Assessment instrument Development
NB: Aims are concerned with purpose whereas objectives are
concerned with achievement.
METHODOLOGY, TIME ALLOCATION AND TOPICS
• Methodology-pedagogical approaches used to
facilitate the teaching & learning of content and
development skills, competencies, values and
attitudes
• Include: group work, educational tours,
discovery, experimental and any other learner
centred methodology
• Teaching methods should arouse interest in
learners and motivate them
• Contact time is specified in the syllabus
• A list of topics is given in each syllabus
 SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
• Outlines the topics and subtopics to
be covered per level
TOPIC FORM 1 FORM 2 FORM 3 FORM 4

Data -Key statistical -Population Data Forms of data

Collection and term -Samples collection presentation
Presentation -Statistical -Data sources methods
data -Data
-Frequency classification
-Tally system -Data types
 COMPETENCE MATRIX
• Gives details of content to be covered and skills
to be achieved per level per topic
SUB TOPIC LEARNING CONTENT SUGGESTED SUGGESTED
OBJECTIVES (knowledge, NOTES AND RESOURCES
skills and ACTIVITIES
attitudes)

Sub topic A Specific Sub Notes and Resources

content concepts activities are
objectives are listed given to aid suggested
to be teaching for the
realised are and Facilitator
given learning and the
learner
 ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES
• These are derived from syllabus objectives
• They spell out learning outcomes
• They state the level of skill attained
• Act as indicators of desired outcomes
They fall into three domains which are:
• Cognitive: deals with the development of
intellectual abilities and skills
• Affective: emphasize interests, attitudes, values
including appreciation
• Psychomotor: concerned with physical, motor or
manipulative skills
 SCHEME OF ASSESSMENT
• Spells out how learners will be assessed
• It gives details of the nature of the
assessment in both continuous and
summative
-These are done in each learning area and for
each level
• The frequency varies from one learning area
to another
• Continuous Assessment -CALA
-Profiling
 SCHEME OF ASSESSMENT
• Summative assessment
• States the number of papers to be set
and duration of each paper
• Describes the structure of each paper
[Choice &compulsory sections]
• Type of test [theory / practical]
• Proportion of items:
Objective/Structured/Essays
ACTIVITY 1 ON CALA DEVELOPMENT
• Study the topics on the scope and sequence chart
• Sample the topics, targeting those that cannot be
addressed through pen and paper
• Arrange the topics from simple to complex per
level
• List the topics to be covered in Term 1, 2 and 3

• NB: The topics should be those that are likely to

be included in the facilitators’ schemes of work
• Set continuous CALA on these topics for Term 1, 2
and 3.
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