TEACHERS' AND STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS, PRACTICES, AND CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT IN EFL CLASSROOMS: THE CASE OF GRADE 10 IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF BENSA WOREDA

<strong>Abstract: </strong>Examining teachers' and students' perceptions, practices, and challenges in implementing CA in EFL classrooms was the main goal of the current study. The mixed or pragmatic method and an explanatory sequential research design were used to accomplish this goal. From the total 1520 population 320 students were selected and close-ended questionnaire was distributed for them but only 273 filled in and returned the questionnaire, then all 30 teachers of five secondary schools received the questionnaire and filled it out. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with just ten teachers and also non-participant observation was conducted in the EFL classroom. The sample schools were selected using the purposive sampling whereas the sample of students was selected using stratified sampling. The teacher sample was selected using comprehensive sampling. The data were collected through close-ended questionnaires, non-participant observation, and semi-structured interview. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS 26 version and it was put in frequency, percentage, mean, and standard-deviation whereas qualitative data was narratively analyzed. The results indicated that students and instructors had positive perception on CA importance on the students’ daily progress and academic performance and on its implementation; however, they there were infrequent practices of teachers using CA in EFL classroom as a result of challenges that hindered them for the to not be implemented effectively are: large class sizes, the burdensome textbook with lessons, the teachers' excessive workload, the students’ anxiety during the evaluation process, the lack of clear and common guidelines, the teachers' approach to teaching English, and other factors. These are just a few of the potential challenges that teachers may face when attempting to avoid practicing CA in the EFL classroom. Continuous assessment was not fully implemented as intended as a result. It was suggested that in order to effectively apply CA, teachers need have a well-thought-out strategy in place. Additionally, they should balance the lessons they teach with the CA in order to assess the daily learning progress of their students.