The effect of moderation of continuous assessment scores on the performance scores of candidates at the basic education certificate examination level

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of moderation of continuous assessment scores on the overall performance scores of candidates at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The target population was the 278,413 candidates who registered for the 2004 BECE in all subjects. Schools were stratified into high, average and low performance categories depending on the performance of their candidates at the 2004 BECE. A maximum of three schools were selected randomly from each of the ten regions in Ghana to represent each category of schools. Six thousand and thirty-four candidates and seven core subjects constituted the sample for the study. The subjects were English Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education, PreTechnical Skills and Agriculture. The main statistical methods used in the analysis of data were the Pearson's product moment correlation and t-tests. The main fmding of the study was that the moderation of continuous assessment scores resulted in the drop in mean performance scores of candidates. The drop in mean performance scores increased from the high to the low performance categories of school for all the subjects investigated. Some recommendations have been made to improve the quality of continuous assessment scores submitted to the West African Examinations Council by school authorities.