The trends in students’ performance in science and mathematics at secondary school level were examined within a decade-long interval in Ghana. Using West African Examinations Council (WAEC) data from approximately 20% of schools countrywide, it was observed that the results did not provide a definitive pattern. Factors such as teachers’ inability to complete between 50% and 75% of the curricula, insufficient-time to enact and complete the curriculum, lack of enough qualified teachers, and use of poor teaching approaches accounted for the trends. This study in Ghana has implications in teacher recruitment deployment in general as well as duration of secondary education globally to examine their efficacy.

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Combining continuous assessment scores with external examination scores for the certification and selection of junior and senior secondary school graduates has gained currency in some countries, including Ghana and Nigeria. While the rationale behind combining continuous assessment scores with external examination scores appears to be sound, there are some fundamental issues which must be understood and addressed by policy makers and practitioners in order to make informed decisions concerning the practice. This paper addresses some relevant issues relating to the policy and practice of combining the two sets of scores for certification. The issues include differences in the quality of teacher assessments and external examinations, methods of moderating teacher assessment scores before combining them with external examination scores and challenges of moderating teacher assessment scores. Some suggestions are made concerning how some of the issues may be resolved.

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