<![CDATA[Purpose: This study aimed to identify the dominant models of authentic assessment used by Afghan EFL university teachers in speaking classrooms and explore the challenges they face in the implementation process. The study further seeks to suggest pedagogical solutions to enhance authenticity in spoken English assessments. Methodology: A mixed-methods design was employed, collecting quantitative data from 25 Afghan EFL university TESOL teachers at KEU through structured questionnaires and analyzing the data using SPSS. Qualitative data were obtained from five instructors through semi-structured interviews and thematically analyzed to explore the teachers’ experiences, challenges, recommendations. Results: The results showed that Performance-based assessments and interviews were the dominant authentic speaking assessment practices. Storytelling, role play, picture-cued descriptions, discussions, presentations, and pair dialogues were commonly used along with oral interviews, questioning, reflections, and informal conversations. The key challenges included limited time, large classes, anxiety, difficulties in comparing responses, and teacher fatigue. The suggested solutions involved training, additional time, peer support, rubrics, and technology integration. Conclusions: The study concludes that Authentic speaking assessments rely on performance-based tasks and oral interviews. Enhancing teacher capacity, providing clear rubrics, integrating technology, and ensuring institutional support are essential to improve assessment quality and fairness, despite existing implementation challenges. Limitations: The limitations of this study include the Limited Sample size, absence of female participants, and non-randomization in the quantitative stage. Contributions: This study provides insights for policymakers, teachers, and curriculum designers by promoting communicative and learner-centered EFL assessment practices, offering a novel contribution to the limited research context of Afghanistan.]]>
