CONCORDANCE OF SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT AND WASSCE OUTCOMES IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS IN NSUKKA, ENUGU STATE

Abstract

School-Based Assessment (SBA) and external examinations are the two primary
modes of assessing students' performance in secondary schools. This study
compared students' mean performance in SBA and the West African Senior School
Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to determine whether significant differences
existed between the two. Three core science subjects Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
were selected for analysis. Three research questions and three null hypotheses
guided the study, which adopted an ex-post facto design. Asample of 79 students was
drawn from four secondary schools in Nsukka Urban, Enugu State. Data were
obtained from students' mock examination results (SBA) and their corresponding
WASSCE results for the 2021/2022 session. Mean and standard deviation were used
to answer the research questions, while t-test at 0.05 significance level tested the
hypotheses. Findings showed significant differences between SBA and WASSCE
mean scores in Biology and Physics, favouring SBA, while no significant difference
was found in Chemistry. Overall, students performed well in WASSCE across
subjects. The study recommended teacher training on effective SBA design and
evaluation, clear learning objectives and assessment criteria, and measures to
ensure consistency and fairness in assessment practices across schools