The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has cautioned schools against sharing fake or misleading analyses of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results.
KNEC said the analyses being circulated do not reflect how the assessment is designed under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Unlike the former 8-4-4 system, KJSEA does not produce an overall total score, an aggregate mark, or a school mean score. Each subject is assessed on its own, and learners are graded using performance levels, not combined marks.
“Unlike the former system, KJSEA does not provide an aggregate score. This is because CBC focuses on nurturing individual potential, not ranking learners,” KNEC said.
The council explained that this approach allows a learner’s strength in one subject to be recognised without being affected by weaker performance in another. As a result, there is no school mean score under KJSEA.
KNEC warned that publishing such analyses is misleading and goes against the principles of the CBC, adding that it may confuse parents and learners.
The Ministry of Education released the 2025 KJSEA and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) results last week. This marked the first release of KJSEA results since the rollout of CBC.
Following the release, many parents and learners expressed confusion about the grading system. KNEC later clarified that performance was assessed across nine learning areas, with scores reported on a scale of 1 to 8. A score of 8 means a learner exceeded expectations, while 1 means below expectations.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that all 1,130,459 candidates who sat the assessment will move to senior school in 2026. Learners will be placed into one of three pathways: Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Each subject carries a maximum of eight points, giving a possible total of 72 points across the nine learning areas. Overall performance is grouped into four levels: exceeding expectation, meeting expectation, approaching expectation, and below expectation.
KNEC said the assessment included written papers, practicals, and projects, depending on the subject. The current group of learners will be the first CBC cohort to join senior secondary school in January 2026.
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