Importance of Assessment in ELT

Assessment has an important role in education and it has a critical role in the teaching process. Through appropriate assessment, teachers can classify and grade their students, give feedback and structure their teaching accordingly. Recently, educators and scientists have been becoming more interested in the requirements of assessment procedures in the scope of foreign language teaching and the learning process, as forms of assessment have been changing. The assessment procedures relate to authenticity, practicality, reliability, validity and wash back, and are considered the basic principles of assessment in foreign language teaching and learning. The main value of these aforementioned principles is to distinguish the effects of assessment and review any classroom based issues between the teacher and the student. As the assessment process affects both teachers and students, significance and consideration should be given to assessment procedures in foreign language teaching.