The Kenya National Examinations Council has explained how the new Kenya Junior School Education Assessment grading system works, saying the framework is clear and does not lower learning standards as claimed in some quarters.
The council said the system marks a clean break from exam ranking and focuses on how each learner performs in every subject under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
KNEC dismissed claims that the grading model is confusing or designed to water down standards, warning schools against sharing what it described as false and misleading interpretations of results.
The council said it had noted reports circulating in some schools showing aggregate scores and mean grades, which do not apply to KJSEA.
In a statement released earlier today, the examinations body said it had come across “fake and inaccurate KJSEA results analysis” and urged schools to stop misleading the public.
KNEC explained that the junior school assessment does not use totals or overall grades as was the case under the former system.
The council said: “Unlike the former system, KJSEA does not provide an aggregate score. Why? Because CBC is about nurturing individual potential, not ranking learners. Each subject is assessed independently, and learners’ achievements are reported using performance levels, not totals. This approach ensures that a child’s excellence in one subject is not overshadowed by weaker performance in another. There is, therefore, no school mean score as is depicted in the attached fake analysis.”
Under the CBC assessment model, learner performance in KJSEA is reported using descriptive achievement levels rather than a single combined score across subjects. KNEC uses four main performance levels, which are Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Approaching Expectations, and Below Expectations.
Each of these levels is divided into two sub-levels to form an eight-point scale ranging from EE1, which carries eight points, to BE2, which carries one point. According to the council, the structure allows for clearer reporting of how learners perform in individual subjects.
“Achievements under the Competency-Based Assessment Framework (CBAF) are reported using four level descriptors: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Approaching Expectations, and Below Expectations. These are put into an eight-point scale by subdividing each descriptor into two levels,” KNEC said in the statement.
The council said the use of performance descriptors is meant to reduce unhealthy competition and give a better picture of how well learners have mastered specific skills and knowledge.
It added that the approach ensures strengths in one subject are recognised without being cancelled out by weaker performance in another area.
KNEC said the new model is a clear shift from the 8-4-4 system, which relied on aggregate scores and mean grades in national exams such as the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
Under the old system, subject scores were added up to produce an overall mean score that was widely used to compare schools and learners and guide placement decisions.
The council noted that the 8-4-4 grading method used letter grades from A to E based on raw marks, with the final total often driving competition among schools and learners for high mean grades.
In contrast, KNEC said the KJSEA framework under CBC focuses on individual subject achievement and removes the pressure created by overall rankings. The council said a learner’s performance in one subject does not affect how achievement in another subject is reported.
KNEC stressed that under KJSEA there is no aggregate score, no combined total points, and no mean grade for learners or schools. It urged schools to explain the system correctly to learners and parents as the country continues to move away from the 8-4-4 curriculum to the Competency-Based Curriculum.
