Formative assessment plays a crucial role in enhancing EFL students’ writing skills through continuous practice and detailed feedbacks. However, its implementation in EFL secondary school contexts remains limited, with a predominant focus on summative assessment. This study explores EFL teacher’s perception and practice of formative assessment in teaching writing. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations with one teacher at SMPN 18 Semarang. Data were analyzed using Gay’s four-step process: memoing, descripting, classifying, and interpreting. The findings reveal that the teacher perceived formative assessment as essential for improving students' grammar and writing structure through consistent feedbacks and targeted activities. In practice, the teacher implemented strategies such as peer review, self-assessment, and the use of engaging tools. Despite these efforts, challenges such as balancing student workload and time constraints were noted. This research highlights the significant role of formative assessment in fostering writing skills and offers insights for teacher development and improved classroom practices.
Keywords: EFL Teacher, Formative Assessment, Secondary School, Teaching Writing