Abstract:

The present paper dwells upon the role of formative and summative assessment in an EFL classroom for the attainment of the goals set by the teacher in delivering the learning content. The role of assessing learners’ knowledge and skills during studies and upon its completion is undoubtedly among the most significant issues. Assessment is important for both the educator and the learner as it gives an idea of various aspects to be covered during the study process: monitoring learners’ gaps, their progress, the teacher’s ability to provide learners with the educational content to the best extent, raising the level of students’ achievements, the distribution of the content within the time allotted, etc. The authors will study and summarize the theory dedicated to the study of formative and summative assessment (Crooks, 2001; Black, et al. 2003; Mahshanian et al, 2019; Ketabi, 2014). The pandemic has forced teachers to reconsider not only the learning content with the purpose of making it more attractive, attainable for the learners when studying remotely, but also the significance of various types of assessment to be used for motivating both the learner and the teacher to achieve the learning outcomes. The authors will cooperate with the teachers of EFL working at Daugavpils University teaching a number of foreign languages (English, German, French, Chinese, Spanish, or Swedish). The questionnaire compiled and offered to the colleagues will be used to identify which type of assessment the EFL teachers find most efficient in the circumstances of distance learning, whether they use both formative and summative assessment, whether the students are acquainted with the assessment to be given upon the completion of the course or during the learning process and differentiate between the two, how the EFL teachers evaluate the role of both types of assessment in their work.

Keywords:

Formative, summative, assessment, EFL.