The new student transcript portal: Revolutionising how Senior High School students are assessed in Ghana

At the start of the 2024/2025 academic year, Ghana’s secondary education sector saw a major reform with the introduction of a new SHS curriculum by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) and the Ghana Education Service (GES).

According to Prof Samuel Bekoe, “This curriculum aims to equip learners with 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and digital literacy, while also promoting core Ghanaian values and inclusivity.”

A crucial part of ensuring that the new curriculum equips learners with these skills lies not only in teaching and learning but also in how learners are assessed. In view of this, a significant component of the rollout of the new curriculum for Senior High Schools (SHS) is the introduction of a new approach to assessment and the Student Transcript Portal (STP).

The new curriculum promotes a balanced approach to assessment. It encourages varied and differentiated assessments and proposes an internal assessment made up of formative elements (portfolios, performance and project work in the classroom) and summative elements, such as end-of-term examinations. In addition, there will be external assessment, which is a comprehensive summative evaluation conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) at the end of Year Three.

Supporting this shift in assessment is the introduction of the Student Transcript Portal (STP), which is explained in detail below.

The Student Transcript System/Portal (STP)

The Student Transcript System (STP), a centralised repository for learner information, provides a comprehensive record of each student’s academic performance and character qualities.

It contains key details such as learner bio-data, semester information, learning areas, subject combinations, assigned classes, continuous assessment information, credit hours, grades, Grade Point Averages (GPAs) and Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs). Additionally, a dedicated qualitative section captures brief descriptions of learners’ character qualities over time.

The introduction of the Student Transcript System marks a significant leap forward in Ghana’s efforts to reform secondary education.

As Ghana continues to build a globally competitive education system, innovations like the STP are laying the foundation for a new generation of learners who are confident, capable and ready for the future. This is not just an assessment reform. It is an educational renaissance.

According to Mr Lawrence Dogbatse, Deputy Registrar of WAEC, “This new curriculum reflects WAEC’s strong commitment to transforming traditional assessment methods. We are moving beyond exam-based evaluation to incorporate project work, practical applications and critical thinking.”

He added, “The introduction of the Student Transcript Portal (STP) is a key part of this shift, as it ensures that every aspect of a learner’s growth, not just test scores, is recognised and valued.”

Benefits for Stakeholders

For learners, the STP encourages consistency and engagement, as every group project or values-based lesson contributes to their academic profile. It promotes intrinsic motivation and moves away from the old “chew, pour, pass, forget” approach.

Parents gain access to a fuller understanding of their child’s strengths and areas for improvement. Instead of seeing only end-of-term grades, they can see how their child participates in class, leads group discussions and develops problem-solving skills.

Teachers and schools benefit from clear guidelines, assessment rubrics and technology-enabled systems that support more accurate and equitable evaluations. This makes it easier to tailor support to different learner needs, including students with disabilities or special needs.

Tertiary institutions and future employers gain access to rich data on prospective students. The STP reflects not only academic scores but also competencies such as leadership, ethics and teamwork. These are skills that matter in the real world.

Speaking on the significance of the STP, Mr Prince Agyemang-Duah, Director of Schools and Instruction at GES, said, “Learning is not just about what students can memorise and reproduce in a two-hour paper. It is about how they think, collaborate, create and apply knowledge to real-world situations.

“The Student Transcript Portal enables us to document this broader learning experience. It ensures that students are recognised for the full range of their efforts. This is how we nurture confident, competent and future-ready graduates.”

He added that, in line with the ambitions of the new SHS curriculum, the STP revolutionises how learning is defined and recognised. It shifts the focus from rote memorisation to real-life application, inclusivity and personal development.

A Shift in Assessment Philosophy

The new curriculum champions a balanced approach to assessment, with internal assessments such as portfolios, project work and practicals now given weight alongside external examinations.

Mr Lawrence Dogbatse from WAEC explained that, “While WAEC still conducts final assessments, its methods have evolved to measure higher-order thinking. Only 30 per cent of the exam now assesses factual recall, while 70 per cent evaluates critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.”

As Ghana embarks on this transformative educational journey, it is imperative for all stakeholders, including teachers, parents and students, to embrace the shift towards a future-ready curriculum.