Title: Tracking learner progression using dual knowledge-competency rubrics in Ugandan secondary schools
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Dr. Twinomujuni Rosebell, Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 206-214
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
This study examined how a dual knowledge-competency rubric could be used to track learner progression across three academic terms in Ugandan secondary schools, situated within the broader shift from purely content-based assessment toward competency-based education (CBE) under Uganda's revised lower secondary curriculum. A cross-sectional analytical design with retrospective term-on-term score tracking was employed among 388 learners drawn from twelve government and private secondary schools in a mixed rural-urban district, using a structured, teacher-administered dual rubric that scored each learner separately on cognitive knowledge mastery and on practical competency application for the same subject content. Data were analysed using univariate statistics to describe the sociodemographic and institutional profile of respondents, bivariate techniques (independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and chi-square tests of association) to compare mean rubric gains and progression rates across learner and school characteristics, and multivariable binary logistic regression to identify independent predictors of learner progression while adjusting for confounding. The findings showed a statistically significant upward trend in both knowledge and competency scores across the three terms, with competency scores rising from a lower baseline but converging with knowledge scores by Term 3, narrowing the initial knowledge-competency gap. Consistent teacher use of the dual rubric was the strongest and most robust correlate of learner progression in both bivariate and multivariable analyses (adjusted odds ratio = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.74-4.03, p < 0.001), while school ownership, locality, and subject area showed no independent association once rubric use was accounted for. The study concluded that the dual knowledge-competency rubric offered a statistically defensible and pedagogically informative tool for disaggregating and tracking two distinct but related dimensions of learner progression, and that its impact depended far more on consistency of teacher implementation than on school-level structural characteristics. The study recommended institutionalised teacher training on rubric administration, termly data-informed review of learner competency gaps, and integration of dual-rubric indicators into the Ministry of Education and Sports' continuous assessment framework.