Kenya - Immigr8

Countries

Kenya/U.S. Curriculum Translation

Grade	7th Primary Education	8th Primary Education	9th General Secondary Form 1	10th General Secondary Form 2	10th General Secondary Form 3	12th General Secondary Form 4
Mathematics		Algebra 1	Geometry	Algebra 2	Pre-Calculus	Calculus or Advanced Math
Natural Sciences (Order may vary by institution and track)			Environmental Science	Biology	Physics	Chemistry
Social Studies			Country- Specific Course Consider: SPTSS	World Geography	Religious Studies Christianity/ Islam Consider: SPTSS	Hindu Islamic Education Consider: SPTSS
Regional Language (e.g., Kiswahili)		*Kiswahili 2 OTHR FL 2	Kiswahili 3 OTHR FL 3	Kiswahili 4 OTHR FL 4	Kiswahili 5 OTHR FL 5	Kiswahili 6 OTHR FL 6
English (official language)	Vocabulary, Grammar, Syntax, Conversation	Vocabulary, Grammar, Syntax, Conversation	Vocabulary, Grammar, Syntax, Conversation Consider: **English 1	Vocabulary, Grammar, Syntax, Conversation Consider: **English 2	Vocabulary, Grammar, Syntax, Conversation Consider: **English 3	Vocabulary, Grammar, Syntax, Conversation Consider: **English 4
Foreign Language (French, German, or Arabic)			3rd Language	3rd Language	3rd Language
Technology			BUIM 1	BUIM 1
Fine Arts			Art 1	Art 1
P.E.			P.E.	P.E.	P.E.	P.E.
CTE Courses (Order may vary)			Graphic Design	Agriculture	Construction

*Should have had consistent schooling with minimal gaps in education

**Assuming English is at a Novice Mid to Novice High Level

Kenya Education System

School Year: January to November | Compulsory Education: 1st-8th | Graduation: 1st – 12th

School	Grade	Age	Certificate
Primary Education	1st-8th	6 to 14 years old	Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE)
General Secondary Education or Vocational Track	9th-12th	15 to 18 years old	Craft Certificate
Secondary Education Academic Track Concentration: Science or Social Studies	11th-12th	17 to 19 years old	Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)

Kenya/U.S. Grading Scale

Kenya Scale 1	U.S. Equivalent	U.S. Numerical Grade	Kenya Scale 2	U.S Equivalent	U.S. Numerical Grade
70-100	A	95	12.0	A+	100
60-69	B+	88	11.0-11.99	A	95
50-59	B	80	10-10.99	A-	90
45-49	C+	78	9.0-9.99	B+	88
40-44	C	70	8.0-8.99	B	80
0-39	F	69	7.0-7.99	C+	78
			6.0-6.99	C	75
			5.0-5.99	C-	73
			4.0-4.99	D	72
			3.0-3.99	D	71
			2.0-2.99	D/Pass	70
			1.0-1.99	F	69

Kenya Transition Supports

Kenya Education Practice:

Education is highly valued in Kenya, with many of the students pursuing strategies such as “shadow education” (after-school and weekend tutoring) and remaining in a grade for more than one year in order to pass the Certificate of Primary Education exam. Because of the country’s continuing economic problems, however, many of these students have not been able to attend school beyond the primary level. Free secondary schooling was introduced in 2008 to help address this issue. Kenya’s literacy rate, at more than four-fifths of the population, is high for sub-Saharan Africa (Clark 2015).

U.S. Educator Implications:
Students and families from Kenya may focus entirely on academic success and not see as much value in non-academic, extracurricular activities or events. Promoting and explaining the importance of non-academic skills will be beneficial for supporting the student and encouraging parents to allow their students to have new exposures.

Strategies for Transition

Get to know your students by building positive relationships.
Provide multicultural education where texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives represent people from different cultural backgrounds.
Allow a reasonable amount of transition time.
Kenya education favors oral lecture and direct instruction. U.S. Educators will need to model who students should engage and interact with when it involves the curriculum and other students. One such strategy would include asking students to summarize what they just learned and share it with a class neighbor. An extension could be asking the student to make one connection to the information learned and share it.
Traditions have a large influence on educational barriers for young girls. Poverty, ignorance, and male preference factor in to cause a disadvantage for young girls and their educational tracks. Therefore, female students may need additional social, emotional, and academic supports. Promoting positive female role models and women in non-traditional careers could scaffold young ladies to recognize their self-worth and abilities (Clark 2015).

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