Implementing Formative Assessment in Inclusive English Classrooms: From Planned Assessment to Responsive Practice

Abstrak

Formative assessment is important in inclusive English classrooms because it enables teachers to gather evidence of learning during instruction and respond to diverse learning needs. This study examined how formative assessment was implemented in an inclusive Grade VIII English classroom, with particular attention to the relationship between assessment planning, classroom enactment, evidence of learning, feedback, and instructional adaptation. A qualitative case study design was employed using non-participant classroom observation, a semi-structured interview with the English teacher, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using the interactive model. The findings indicate that formative assessment was embedded throughout instruction through questioning, observation, performance activities, feedback, and reflection. A key pattern was the difference between planned assessment and classroom implementation. Although the written assessment plan was primarily designed for the whole class, the teacher adapted instructions, task support, time allocation, and individual guidance in response to students’ learning evidence. Thus, in this case, the inclusive dimension of formative assessment was more visible in teachers’ real-time responsive decisions than in formal assessment planning. Because the study concerned one teacher and one classroom, the findings are presented as a context-specific account rather than a generalizable claim.