This study explores future tasks and challenges of the school-based English achievement test
in elementary schools. Ten elementary school teachers who had been teaching for over five
years and teaching English for over two years were selected as participants. This study
examined the procedures and the usefulness of the school-based English achievement test by
means of a survey and interviews. The results indicate some problems associated with the test:
loss of assessment purpose, lack of convenience in item development, and an absence of
feedback after the test. In terms of test usefulness, the teachers mostly thought that the
school-based achievement test was valid, but the results were not reliable. Both the authenticity
and practicality of the achievement test were considered low because, according to the teachers,
it did not reflect the goals of elementary English education; and because, in teachers’ opinions,
it takes a relatively long time to develop and conduct the test compared to its importance. The
backwash effects were controversial. Some teachers thought the achievement test provided a
positive effect such as an increase in student motivation and an improvement in learning
attitude. Others, however, thought that it could make students fear and be less interested in
English. Last, the teachers had not received any training or been provided with educational
programs for testing in English education; they felt that there were no training or educational
programs for teachers to learn about what to test and how to develop the tests. In conclusion,
this study suggests that the achievement test needs to be developed in different ways with
variable methods, and there should be instructions for teachers with respect to how to provide
students with appropriate feedback. It is also important to give teachers the opportunity to
learn about testing in English education.