The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has moved to clarify the grading system used in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) assessment, following widespread confusion and the circulation of misleading results analysis after the release of the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results.
In a notice on Monday, December 15, the examination body emphasized that the new reporting system uses descriptive performance levels rather than numerical marks to eliminate the unhealthy competition that characterized the previous 8-4-4 education system.
KNEC explained that achievements under the Competency-Based Assessment Framework (CBAF) are reported using four broad 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," the council stated, outlining how the performance levels translate into points.
According to the grading table released by KNEC: Exceeding Expectation (EE) is divided into EE1 (8 points) and EE2 (7 points), Meeting Expectation (ME) comprises ME1 (6 points) and ME2 (5 points), Approaching Expectation (AP) includes AE1 (4 points) and AE2 (3 points), and Below Expectation (BE) consists of BE1 (2 points) and BE2 (1 point).
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The examination body stressed that this descriptive approach aims to avoid reviving the excessive competition associated with the former education system, where students were ranked solely based on aggregate scores.
The clarification comes after KNEC issued a stern warning to schools earlier today against misleading the public with fake and inaccurate KJSEA results analysis.
In a statement posted on social media, the council cautioned that, unlike the former 8-4-4 system, the new KJSEA assessment does not provide an aggregate score or overall mean score for schools.
"We urge schools to stop misleading the public with fake and inaccurate KJSEA results analysis," KNEC stated.
The examination body explained that the CBC system focuses on nurturing individual potential rather than ranking learners against each other. Each subject is assessed independently, and learners' achievements are reported using performance levels instead of total marks.
"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," KNEC emphasized.
The council attached an image stamped "FAKE POST ALERT" showing a purported Grade 9 KJSEA analysis from a school that included aggregate scores, percentages, and ratings; elements that do not exist in the authentic CBC reporting system.
