The Coordinator of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Sherif Sulemana, has explained how candidates are ranked and matched with their preferred senior high schools, programmes and residential options during the placement process.

Speaking on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 3, Mr Sulemana said the process starts with ranking candidates by aggregate score before their school and programme choices are considered.

“So the placement process is quite simple and straightforward. First of all, we rank candidates based on their aggregate scores,” he explained.

He said candidates are ranked from the best aggregate of six to the lowest aggregate of 54.

“If you have about 620,000 candidates, we rank them from the top, which is the six, to the bottom, which is an aggregate of 54,” he said.

After ranking the candidates, the CSSPS considers the choices they made when selecting schools.

These include the particular senior high school they want to attend, the programme they want to study, and whether they prefer day or boarding.

Mr Sulemana explained that a candidate could, for instance, choose Tamale Senior High School, select General Science and indicate a preference for boarding.

The system then considers whether the candidate's aggregate score is strong enough to secure a place based on the available slots for that school, programme and residential status.

“So we match the candidates’ aggregate scores to their choices, to their schools, and to the programmes and the residence of study they want,” he said.

Mr Sulemana said the raw scores become important when candidates have the same aggregate score and are competing for the same limited space.

He gave the example of two candidates who both obtain an aggregate of six and choose Tamale Senior High School, General Science and boarding.

In that situation, the system needs another basis to determine which candidate gets the available place.

“That’s where we use the raw scores to break the tie between the candidates,” he explained.

According to him, the aggregate score remains the main basis for ranking candidates, while raw scores are used to separate candidates who are tied.

“We can compute, but once we are using the aggregate scores, we only bring in the raw scores to break a tie,” he said.

Mr Sulemana also explained a less obvious aspect of the placement system, where a candidate with a higher aggregate number could secure a place ahead of another candidate with a lower aggregate.

He said this can happen when the candidates are competing for the same school, programme and residential option and their raw scores are considered.

The explanation is linked to how grades are determined under the current grading system.

Mr Sulemana said that a candidate could score 60 in a subject and obtain a grade one if that was the highest performance in that subject. In another subject, however, a candidate could score 90 but receive a lower grade if other candidates performed better.

“So if someone had scored 90 and gotten, say, a two, and someone scores 60 and gets a one, that means the 90 is higher than the 60,” he said.

He said this is why raw scores can sometimes provide a better indication of a candidate’s actual performance when candidates are competing for the same place.

“That’s where sometimes we rely on the raw scores so that the raw scores now become the true reflection of the candidate, not the aggregate score,” he explained.

He gave an example of two candidates competing for the same place, with one having an aggregate six and the other an aggregate eight.

“So based on that as well, you can have a candidate with an aggregate six, another with an aggregate eight, competing for the same slot in the same school, the same programme, and the same residential status, and the one with the eight goes in because he has a higher raw score than the one with the six,” he said.

The explanation has also highlighted the need for candidates and parents to better understand how raw scores are used in the placement process.

Mr Sulemana admitted that the CSSPS may need to do more to educate the public about the system.

“I also concede that maybe we have to go beyond just the aggregate scores and educate the general public on using the raw scores in the placement process as well,” he said.

He also acknowledged concerns about the grading system and said the CSSPS had previously considered whether it should be reviewed.

“During our initial engagements on the placements, I mean, we conceded that we may have to take a second look at using the state line system for the grading,” he said.

He explained that the current system can produce situations where raw scores vary significantly even when candidates receive similar or better grades.

Mr Sulemana also assured candidates and parents that the placement exercise was ready for release.

When asked whether the process had been completed, he said the team was putting final touches to the system ahead of the expected release on Friday, September 4.

“We are set. That assurance we can give the general public. We are set. There’s no cause for alarm. We are set,” he said.