Benefits of School-Based Assessment in the Learning of Social Studies

Abstract

The Ghana government proposed to implement school-based assessment (SBA) in all pre-tertiary education institutions to replace the continuous assessment in 2007. However, any research is yet to be conducted in Biakoye District to find out the benefits of school-based assessment in the teaching and learning of Social Studies. This study examined the benefits of school-Based Assessment as an innovation in Ghanaian educational system in the learning of Social Studies. The descriptive survey was adopted by the study. A total of 40 Social Studies teachers from Biakoye District were purposively selected for the study. It was found that even though the majority of the Social Studies teachers have never attended workshop on the use of SBA, they implemented it in assessing students. The Social Studies teachers used for the study also indicated that the SBA has a lot of benefits in the teaching and learning of Social Studies. The study recommends that workshops should be organized for teachers on SBA so that they could use it effectively.

Examining the Predictive Capacity of School-based Assessment on Students' Mathematics Performance in Large-scale Examinations

“…SBA encompasses a variety of assessment activities conducted by teachers within the school environment, including quizzes, tests, projects, and class presentations. These assessments are designed to measure students' understanding of subject matter, critical thinking skills, and ability to apply knowledge to real-world situations [12]. One primary use of SBA in Ghana is to complement external examinations, such as the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) [13].…”