The release of results for the inaugural Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) has triggered anxiety, debate and confusion across private schools. For decades, schools were socialised into a results culture in which performance was easily interpreted through mean scores, grades, and national rankings. KJSEA has disrupted that comfort. Instead of marks and positions, schools are now confronted with descriptors such as Emerging, Approaching, Meeting and Exceeding Expectations. In the absence of historical data and league tables, many institutions are struggling to interpret what good performance looks like and how to account for it to parents, boards and proprietors.
At the centre of the confusion is the “Exceeding Expectations” indicator. For many private schools, it has quickly become the new gold standard, the figure to be chased, advertised and defended. There is an unspoken assumption that a higher proportion of learners rated as Exceeding Expectations automatically translates into superior teaching, stronger systems and full compliance with the Competency Based Curriculum. This assumption, however, is both misleading and dangerous.
CBC was never designed to reward exceptionalism at the expense of the average learner. Its foundation lies in the belief that every child can develop competencies at their own pace and in their own way. The assessment framework was therefore intentionally descriptive rather than competitive. Exceeding Expectations simply means that, at the time of assessment, a learner demonstrated competencies beyond the expected grade-level benchmarks. It does not mean the learner is more valuable, more intelligent or better taught than others. Neither does it mean the school is more compliant with CBC principles.
True CBC compliance is rooted in process rather than outcome. A school may record a high number of learners in the Exceeding Expectations band by narrowing learning experiences to assessment tasks, rehearsing expected responses or over-scaffolding learner work. Such practices may inflate outcomes but contradict the spirit of CBC, which values inquiry, exploration, creativity and learner agency. In contrast, a school that faithfully implements learner-centred pedagogy, project-based learning and authentic assessment may find most of its learners placed under Meeting Expectations. That is not failure; it is precisely where the curriculum designers anticipated the majority of learners would be.
The pressure on private schools complicates this reality. Parents, shaped by years of KCPE rankings and mean scores, are hungry for clear winners. In a competitive education market, schools feel compelled to present the Exceeding Expectations indicator as evidence of superiority. The danger is that EE risks becoming the new “400 marks,” recreating the exam-driven culture CBC was meant to dismantle. When schools chase EE numbers, teaching quietly shifts from competency development to performance engineering.
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CBC compliance cannot be reduced to a single descriptor on a results slip. It must be interrogated holistically. Are learners able to apply knowledge in real-life contexts? Do they collaborate, communicate effectively and think critically? Are assessment tools varied and authentic, or are they narrowly aligned to summative tasks? Is learner progress supported through continuous feedback, or is assessment mainly used to label and sort? These questions speak more loudly about CBC fidelity than the proportion of learners exceeding expectations.
It is also essential to recognise that diversity in learner outcomes is normal and healthy. A credible CBC profile should show a reasonable spread across Emerging, Approaching, Meeting and Exceeding Expectations, with strong internal progression data. A system where nearly all learners are rated as Exceeding Expectations should raise professional questions rather than applause. It may signal inflated judgment, inconsistent standards or undue pressure on teachers and learners.
For school leaders, the task ahead is not to defend or market KJSEA results, but to educate their communities. Parents need to understand that Meeting Expectations is not mediocrity; it represents solid, age-appropriate competency acquisition. Exceeding Expectations should be celebrated, but not idolised. Most importantly, learning growth over time matters more than static labels.
The inaugural KJSEA results should therefore be viewed as a mirror, not a trophy. They invite schools to reflect on instructional practices, assessment integrity and learner support systems. Exceeding Expectations can offer helpful insight, but it is not a verdict on CBC compliance. Compliance is demonstrated daily in classrooms where learners are curious, engaged, supported, and appropriately challenged.
If private schools allow Exceeding Expectations to replace grades and rankings, CBC will lose its soul. But if the results are used thoughtfully, contextually and professionally, KJSEA can become a powerful tool for improving learning. The choice lies not in the indicator itself but in how schools interpret and respond to it.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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