The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has instructed all primary and junior schools to verify the school-based assessment (SBA) scores of candidates registered for the 2026 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
Schools have until July 30, 2026, to complete the verification exercise through the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal.
Schools Directed to Verify Assessment Records
According to KNEC, the verification exercise is intended to ensure that all learners’ continuous assessment scores have been correctly uploaded before this year’s national assessments are administered.
Heads of institutions have been asked to log into their respective CBA portals and confirm that all SBA records for eligible candidates have been accurately captured.
“All heads of institutions are expected to access their school CBA portals and verify the status of uploaded SBA scores for candidates registered for the 2026 KPSEA and KJSEA assessments. This exercise should be completed by July 30, 2026,” KNEC said in a notice.
How SBA Scores Contribute to Final Results
Under Kenya’s Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, school-based assessments form a significant portion of a learner’s final examination results.
For Grade 6 learners taking KPSEA, continuous assessments conducted during Grades 4, 5 and 6 contribute 60 per cent of the final score, while the national assessment accounts for the remaining 40 per cent.
Grade 9 learners sitting KJSEA will have their final results calculated using multiple assessment components. KPSEA performance contributes 20 per cent, school-based assessments from Grades 7 and 8 account for another 20 per cent, while the Grade 9 national examination contributes the remaining 60 per cent.
Exercise Aims to Eliminate Errors
KNEC said the verification process is designed to identify and correct any missing or inaccurate assessment records before learners’ final results are processed.
The council noted that the exercise follows an earlier submission window during which schools uploaded SBA scores for Grade 4 and Grade 5 learners. That deadline had previously been extended to June 18 to allow more schools to comply.
Grade 10 Registration Deadline Also Set
In addition to verifying assessment scores, KNEC announced that July 30 will also serve as the deadline for registering Grade 10 learners on the Competency-Based Assessment portal.
The council cautioned that only schools already approved as senior school assessment centres will be allowed to register learners. Institutions that failed to complete the assessment centre registration process by May 22 will not be permitted to enrol Grade 10 candidates on the system.
Compliance Critical Under CBC
KNEC emphasized that timely compliance with the verification and registration requirements is essential because school-based assessments play a major role in determining learners’ final Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE) results.
Under the Competency-Based Education framework, formative assessments conducted in Grades 10 and 11 each contribute 15 per cent toward a learner’s final subject score, while the Grade 12 national summative assessment accounts for the remaining 70 per cent.
The council urged schools to complete the verification exercise before the deadline to ensure every learner’s academic record is accurate ahead of the 2026 national assessments.
