KNEC previously instructed schools to verify KPSEA, KJSEA SBA scores by July 30

Headteachers are racing against time to upload verified school-based assessment (SBA) results for non-candidate learners to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal before Friday’s deadline.

KNEC gave school heads until October 23 to upload SBA results for learners in Grades 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8.

The deadline for mandatory verification of uploaded SBA results for Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) candidates lapsed on July 30.

This followed an extension of the deadline for uploading project scores for Grades 4 and 5 to June 18.

School heads are required to upload the scores progressively through the KNEC CBA portal using their official login credentials and a one-time password (OTP) sent to their registered mobile phone numbers.

Once logged in, teachers select the relevant grade and learning area, enter learners’ scores and submit the data before the deadline.

Schools are advised to upload scores in batches rather than wait until the last minute. This helps minimise data-entry errors and congestion on the portal.

The uploaded results must accurately reflect each assessment cycle and comply with official KNEC scoring guides and task instructions.

To safeguard the credibility of the assessment process, schools are required to retain physical and electronic evidence of learners’ work, including portfolios, photographs and recordings, for verification.

SBA results provide a continuous and cumulative record of learners’ progress under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. They also contribute to the calculation of learners’ final national assessment scores.

Projects, practicals and written tests account for a specified proportion of a learner’s transition score, with the weighting varying by grade and assessment.

SBA scores contribute 60 per cent to the final KPSEA score, combined from Grades 4, 5 and practicals. The KPSEA summative score accounts for the remaining 40 per cent.

The KPSEA score at Grade 6 contributes 20 per cent to the KJSEA summative score at Grade 9, while another 20 per cent comes from SBA scores in Grades 7 and 8.

The national KJSEA contributes the remaining 60 per cent.

The data is also used to generate official progress reports and learner profiles, which inform parents, education institutions and officials about academic progress and support planning.

KNEC begins tracking learners’ assessment records when they are registered in Grade 3. Each learner is assigned a unique Assessment Number that links their biodata to their continuous assessment scores throughout their basic education.

The October 23 deadline falls three days before KPSEA and KJSEA are scheduled to begin on Monday, October 26, marking the end of the school term for institutions preparing for the national assessments.