RELEVANCE OF CRITERION REFERENCED ASSESSMENT IN COMPETENCY BASED CURRICULUM IN UGANDA

The implementation of Uganda’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) necessitates an assessment system that accurately measures learners' progress in acquiring specific skills and knowledge. Criterion-Referenced Assessment (CRA) plays a crucial role in this framework by evaluating students against predefined learning objectives rather than comparing their performance to that of peers. This approach ensures that learners develop the required competencies for academic and practical success, fostering a more learner-centered education system (Pinkus, 2010) CRA enhances teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes by providing clear benchmarks that guide instruction and enable teachers to tailor their methods to individual learner needs. It also promotes authentic assessment practices, allowing students to demonstrate their abilities in real-world contexts, which is a core principle of CBC (Guskey, 2019). However, despite these advantages, challenges such as teacher preparedness, resource limitations, and inconsistency in implementation pose barriers to the successful adoption of CRA in Uganda’s education system. These challenges must be addressed to optimize assessment practices and ensure that learners acquire the necessary competencies for lifelong learning and employability (Elwood, 2013) This study critically examines the relevance of CRA in Uganda’s CBC, exploring its impact on teaching, learning, and assessment practices. The findings provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of CRA within CBC, offering policy recommendations to enhance its implementation and effectiveness in improving educational quality in Uganda.