GNAPS calls for transparent standards-based BECE grading instead of norm-referenced assessment

Justice King Essiel, General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), questioned the transparency of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) grading system on Tuesday, August 4, on JoyNews' The Pulse. He argued that the continued use of norm-referenced assessment is inconsistent with Ghana's current education reforms. He explained that the existing grading model ranks candidates against one another rather than measuring them against fixed performance standards, making it difficult for parents, teachers, and schools to determine students' actual academic achievement.

Mr. Essiel stated that Ghana's assessment system was originally designed when progression to higher levels of education was highly competitive. He noted that educational reforms "have become compulsory, and every child is expected to move on to the next level. But while the system has changed, the assessment method has largely remained the same." He explained that under the current norm-referenced grading system, "They are comparing children with other cohorts. So, for example, even if a student scores 80 marks, that student may not receive Grade One if the score does not place them within the top-performing group." He argued that because only grades are released and not candidates' raw scores, parents and schools are unable to accurately assess students' actual performance. He called for a standards-based grading system similar to that used at the senior high school level.