KNEC warns against fake KJSEA analysis by schools

KNEC clarified that, unlike the previous exams under the 8-4-4 education system, KJSEA does not provide an aggregate score, overall total, or school mean score.

Under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), each subject is assessed independently, and learners’ achievements are reported using performance levels rather than cumulative marks.

“Unlike the former system, KJSEA does not provide an aggregate score. Why? Because CBC is about nurturing individual potential, not ranking learners,” KNEC stated.

The council says that the assessment approach ensures a learner’s excellence in one subject is recognised independently and not overshadowed by weaker performance in another.

“There is, therefore, no school mean score,” KNEC added.

KNEC has termed such analyses misleading and inaccurate, stating that they do not reflect official assessment practices and warns that such practices undermine the principles of the CBC.

The Ministry of Education released the 2025 KJSEA and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) results on Thursday.

The release of the inaugural KJSEA results caused confusion among parents and learners, especially over the grading system.

KNEC, however, provided clarification on how the results were generated and reported across the nine learning areas, as well as the cumulative total.

The council explained that learners’ performance was assessed across nine learning areas, with scores reported on a scale of 1 to 8. A score of 8 represents the highest level of exceeding expectations, while 1 represents the lowest level of below expectations.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that all 1,130,459 candidates who sat the assessment will transition to senior school in 2026 and be placed into one of the three pathways: Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The CS explained that each subject has a maximum of eight points, giving a possible maximum score of 72 across the nine subjects assessed. Overall learner performance was categorised into: exceeding expectation, meeting expectation, approaching expectation, and below expectation.

The KJSEA summative assessment consisted of written papers and dry practicals or projects. While most subjects had a single paper, languages, Integrated Science, and manipulative subjects had two papers due to the composition, practical, or project components.

The CBC was introduced in 2019 with a phased rollout beginning in the lower primary. The current cohort marks the first group of CBC learners to transition into senior secondary school on January 12, 2026.