ACER UK - supporting Ghana’s use of national assessments to measure proficiency in mathematics and reading

Ghana’s Ministry of Education is on track to achieve global recognition in its efforts to align their National Standardised Tests (NST) with requirements for international reporting. Their upcoming submission to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics (UIS) could make Ghana one of the first countries in the world to adapt their national assessment to report on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.1.1 parts a and b.

SDG indicators 4.1.1a and b refer to the proportions of children who have achieved minimum proficiency levels (MPLs) in reading and mathematics in lower and upper primary. Until recently, this data has been measured and reported in many countries using international tools such as ACER’s Assessment of Minimum Proficiency Levels (AMPL), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), or regional assessments such as PASEC.

Although these international tools are highly reliable, the ability to use a national assessment to report against SDG 4.1.1 has other benefits. Administering the same assessment for national and international purposes has cost efficiencies and reduces the number of assessments students are required to sit. Governments also have more control over reporting. However, any national assessment used for international reporting must meet UIS criteria, and until recently this has proved challenging. In 2024, 20% of countries had insufficient valid assessment data to report and 47% of countries had no valid assessment data.

A 2024 programme of technical support funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO UK), and rolled out in 2024 by ACER UK, addresses these reporting requirements and widespread data deficiencies. Ghana is one of the first countries to have received ACER UK’s technical assistance and to have adapted their national assessment (NST 2024) to raise the quality of the data generated and meet UIS criteria.

Ghana’s momentum stems from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA)’s willingness to adapt existing assessments and the Ministry of Education’s commitment to both national and international reporting. Thus, while NST 2024 aligns to the global MPLs and the related administration protocols meet international standards, NST data will also continue to usefully inform national policy, planning and practice.

NaCCA and ACER UK’s collaboration has had mutual and wide benefits. ACER UK has benefitted from the invaluable experience of working alongside colleagues in Ghana, which will inform future work with UIS and other stakeholders. NaCCA’s capacity building will reduce the need for external technical assistance in the future and even potentially enable Ghana to support other nations and contribute to the growing community of practice in the region.

In February 2025, the meeting of UNESCO’s Education Data and Statistics Commission in Paris saw the acceptance of the criteria for reporting against SDG 4.1.1. The meeting hosted discussions on finalising arrangements for submitting national assessments to UIS. Ghana’s ‘test case’ adaptation of their national assessment for international reporting was a strong focus of these discussions and will allow Ghana to lead in national assessment reporting in the region.

ACER UK’s support for Ghana is funded by the FCDO’s Data for Foundational Learning Programme (D4FL). Countries wishing to discuss ways in which learning outcomes data might be improved and better used to inform policy and practice and make international comparisons are invited to contact Colin Watson at ACER UK colin.watson@acer.org.