New KJSEA grading system leaves parents, students confused

The new competency-based education grading structure, which is built on an eight-level performance scale, has left many struggling to interpret what the scores actually mean and how they will impact the upcoming transition to senior school.

In Kisii County, concerned parents flocked to a local school seeking clarification from the headteachers, hoping to better understand the categories of exceeding expectation, meeting expectation, approaching expectation, and below expectation.

At Kari Comprehensive School, dozens of parents under the competency-based education system, accompanied by their children who sat for the pioneer Grade 9 assessment, have turned up at school despite it being a holiday, seeking clarity on the results they just received.

It is the first cohort under CBE to receive this new style of grading, and for many families, the shift is proving difficult to understand.

“…Hii system hatujapata vizuri. Hata mimi mwenyewe naelezwa sijapata vizuri, na vile tuko na walimu hapa watatueleza vizuri hii inamaanisha nini,” said a parent Erick Omboga.

KJSEA top student at Kari Primary School Gibios Nyamao added, “According to my grades and ranking, arts and sports have the highest ranking, but I chose STEM. So I am pleading with the government to assist me because I am interested in STEM, but I have excelled in arts and sports.”

For the first time, the Ministry of Education has moved away from the familiar letter grades—from A, which traditionally signified exceptional performance, down to E.

But what is confusing parents is that under the new system, the top performance level is labelled “EE,” meaning exceeding expectation, while the lowest level “BE” signals below expectation. Parents say that without proper orientation, interpreting the results has become a big challenge.

Lillian Naymbu added, “When a child tells us they have exceeded expectations, at times we get a challenge. We get confused because we don’t know what they have achieved because there are no points, no grading.”

Under the new grading system, each subject is graded out of a maximum of eight points, and with nine learning areas assessed, learners can earn up to 72 points.

The top band, exceeding expectations one—which gives eight points—is a score of 90–100%.

The second band, exceeding expectations two, which is seven points, is a 75–89% score.

Meeting expectations one is 58–74%, while meeting expectations two is 41–57%.

Approaching expectations two is 21–30%, while the last band is below expectations one, which is 11–20%, and minimal below expectations two, which is a 1–10% score.