Education

Parents Struggle to Decode New CBC Grading System as KJSEA Results Released

NAIROBI, Kenya – Parents across Kenya have expressed confusion and frustration over a new eight-level grading system introduced for the country’s first-ever Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), with many struggling to understand what their children’s grades actually mean.

Following the release of results on Thursday, December 12, schools nationwide witnessed an influx of concerned parents seeking clarification on the unfamiliar letter combinations appearing on their children’s report cards—particularly the grade “EE,” which many initially misinterpreted as indicating poor performance.

“I checked my child’s results and saw it written ‘EE,’ and I am confused about these terminologies, which have become difficult to interpret. We were used to the traditional grading way,” lamented one parent outside a Nairobi school on Friday.

A Radical Departure from Tradition

The new system marks a significant shift from the familiar A-to-E grading scale that characterized Kenya’s previous 8-4-4 education system. Under the Competency-Based Education framework, learners’ performance is now described qualitatively as well as quantitatively, focusing on abilities rather than simple grades or marks.

The assessment evaluates students across nine learning areas—including English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Studies, and Creative Arts—with each subject graded on an eight-point scale. This means learners can accumulate a maximum of 72 points overall.

Understanding the Four Performance Bands

The grading system has four main bands: Exceeding Expectations (EE), Meeting Expectations (ME), Approaching Expectations (AP), and Below Expectations (BE), with each band split into two levels.

Contrary to parental fears, “EE” actually represents the highest achievement level. A student graded EE1 has scored between 90 and 100 percent, demonstrating exceptional performance and earning eight points. EE2 indicates very good performance, with scores between 75 and 89 percent and seven points awarded.

The Meeting Expectations band includes ME1 for good performance (58-74 percent, six points) and ME2 for fair performance (41-57 percent, five points).

Students in the Approaching Expectations category—AE1 (31-40 percent, four points) and AE2 (21-30 percent, three points)—require improvement or are performing below average.

The Below Expectations band represents the lowest achievement levels: BE1 (11-20 percent, two points) indicating well below average performance, and BE2 (1-10 percent, one point) showing minimal achievement.

Beyond a Single Test

Adding to the complexity, the KJSEA results don’t tell the complete story. The final placement score combines three components: KJSEA performance contributes 60 percent, while School-Based Assessments from Grades 7 and 8 account for 20 percent, and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment from Grade 6 adds another 20 percent.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba described the new results slip as far more comprehensive than its predecessor. “It is more than a results slip. It’s a report showing a candidate’s strengths and what a learner can do to improve,” he explained during the results release.

Placement into Senior Secondary

The over 1.13 million learners who sat the KJSEA will now transition to Grade 10 in senior secondary schools, where they’ll follow one of three pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Social Sciences; or Arts and Sports Science.

According to Kenya National Examinations Council CEO David Njengere, this new approach to reporting learner achievement aligns with global best practices, moving away from the high-stakes, single-examination model that defined Kenyan education for decades.

Students will learn their school placements by December 20, with reporting scheduled for January 12, 2026. The Ministry of Education has assured parents there is adequate capacity in senior secondary schools to accommodate all learners.

A Learning Curve for All

The confusion surrounding the new grading system reflects broader challenges as Kenya implements its most significant education reform in 40 years. While the system aims to provide a more holistic assessment of student abilities and reduce examination pressure, the transition has left many parents uncertain about how to interpret their children’s academic standing.

Education officials acknowledge that familiarizing stakeholders with the new framework will take time, but maintain that the competency-based approach better prepares learners for modern challenges by focusing on skills development rather than rote memorization.