School Based Assessment (SBA) in Ghana — How It Works

What is School Based Assessment (SBA)?

SBA is continuous assessment during the term — class tests, projects, homework marks, and other class-level evaluations — combined with a terminal exam to produce each subject's final score. GES basic schools use different weight splits depending on school policy and subject.

Common CAT / exam weight splits

Many Ghanaian schools use one of these patterns per subject:

• 30% class assessment / 70% exam — common for core subjects at JHS
• 50% / 50% — balanced split for some primary subjects
• Custom ratios — schools may set different splits per subject and term

The SBA score lifecycle

Teachers enter marks from their phones or desktops throughout the term. When a score sheet is complete, the teacher submits it for admin review. The school admin monitors completion on a dashboard, approves or returns sheets, and can publish class results once broadsheets are signed off.

Class teachers add conduct, interest, attitude, and remarks. Headteachers review comments before publication. This workflow replaces paper broadsheets and reduces errors from manual totalling.

Offline score entry with Excel

Schools on slow networks can export score sheets to Excel, fill them offline, and upload when back online. This hybrid approach keeps teachers productive during connectivity outages while still feeding a single central database.

Why mobile-first SBA entry matters

Teachers often record marks in the classroom, not at a desktop in the staff room. Auto-save on every keystroke prevents lost work when the connection drops. Lightweight pages load quickly on mobile data — critical for rural schools in Ghana.