Rethinking assessment, achievement and ranking in Ghanaian education

The article "Rethinking Assessment, Achievement and Ranking in Ghanaian Education" discusses the distinction between achievement and ranking in the context of Ghana's education system. It argues that while ranking has a legitimate place in education, it is not the same as measuring learning. The Kumasi-based Nunyãdume reflection highlights a teacher who gathered children beneath a village tree to teach them climbing skills.

When nine children successfully climbed the tree, the examiner questioned how he could determine which child was first, leading to a ranking of the children based on their climbing speed. However, the Elder sitting nearby questioned whether the purpose was to discover who could climb or merely who climbed faster than another. The article suggests that while ranking is necessary for certain purposes, such as selecting among applicants or distinguishing scholarship candidates, it is not the same as measuring learning.

It argues that the purpose of education should be to identify excellence, and assessments should measure whether learners have attained necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors. The distinction between achievement and ranking is crucial, as a criterion-referenced assessment can tell us if a child has mastered a competency, while a norm-referenced system asks a different question about how the child performed compared to others.

The article suggests that Ghana should separate certification from selection, with certification answering the question of what a learner has mastered and ranking answering the question of how the child performed relative to others. This separation would allow for meaningful feedback on progress toward defined performance indicators and avoid unnecessary competition masquerading as educational measurement.