Projects and school-based assessments (SBAs) are a big part of the Competency Based Curriculum. They count towards KPSEA and KJSEA results through school-based assessment, and they are where many parents feel lost. This hub links our individually written guides and explains what is expected at each level, so you can support your child without doing the work for them.
What a CBC project is
A CBC project is a task, often done over several weeks, in which learners apply knowledge to a real problem: growing vegetables, making a model, surveying the community or recording a song. KNEC issues school-based assessment tasks for some grades, and teachers also set their own projects. The learner’s process, collaboration and reflection matter as much as the finished product.
Our guides
- Grade 4–6 projects: a parent’s guide
- Junior school projects (Grades 7–9)
- Community service learning (CSL) explained
- Report card comments, with examples
How assessment is reported
Work is rated on performance levels, from Below Expectations to Exceeding Expectations, using rubrics. Junior school uses eight levels (BE2 to EE1). Ask the teacher for the rubric before your child starts, so everyone knows what “meeting expectations” looks like.
The parent’s role
- Understand the task. Read the instructions together and note the deadline.
- Help plan, not produce. Ask questions such as “What will you need?” and “What is your first step?”
- Use what you have. CBC encourages locally available and recycled materials. Expensive shop-bought kits are not required.
- Keep evidence. Photos of the process, drafts and notes help the learner explain the work.
- Let the child present. Being able to explain what they did is part of the assessment.
Keeping costs down
Parents often complain about project costs. Talk to the teacher if a task requires materials you cannot afford; schools are expected to accept alternatives. Share materials with classmates, reuse containers and boxes, and borrow tools.
For teachers
Teachers can record levels and comments with our CBC report card maker; schools can produce whole-class reports with a school licence. You can share your own project rubrics through teacher resources.
Frequently asked questions
Are projects graded with marks? No. Teachers use rubrics and performance levels, and add comments on what the learner did well and what to improve.
What if my child misses a deadline? Talk to the teacher early. Most teachers allow catch-up time when there is a genuine reason.
Does the school have to provide materials? Schools are expected to plan tasks that use affordable, local materials, and some provide them. If a requirement is a burden, raise it with the class teacher or the parents’ association.
Integrity
Doing a project for your child, or buying one, harms their learning and can be treated as malpractice in assessed tasks. Support, encourage and supervise, but let the work be theirs.
Sources
- KNEC, school-based assessment guidelines for KPSEA and KJSEA
- KICD, Basic Education Curriculum Framework and curriculum designs
CBC Guides is independent and is not approved by KICD or KNEC.