The importance of evaluation and the problems most frequently faced by teachers in relation to classroom assessment are the motivation for this paper. The objective is to make a case for a more informed approach to the development of classroom assessment instruments from the results of a case study that analyzed 28 classroom tests. The basic literature that guides the construction of valid and reliable instruments is reviewed to support the argument that classroom assessment can be approached from a sound theoretical framework. The case study research will be presented as well as its methodology for data analysis. Results reveal that although the communicative approach has been one of the most recognized approaches for the teaching of a second language in the last 25 years, as far as evaluation is concerned, the approach that seems to predominate in classroom test construction in a region of Minas Gerais reminds us of the period known as grammar-translation. Such disturbing results are presented and discussed in this paper as well as its implications for teachers and researchers.
classroom assessment; texts; EFL