Critical Theory, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, and the Issue with English-Only Assessments

• In Event: Language, Power, Belonging: Decolonizing Support in Schools

Abstract

This theoretical paper uses critical theory to examine how Georgia’s English-only assessment mandates reinforce systemic inequities for Multilingual Learners by conflating language proficiency with academic ability. It uncovers neoliberal and assimilationist ideologies underpinning policies like Rule 160-3-1-.07, which position linguistic diversity as a deficit. As an alternative, the paper proposes Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) to resist these restrictive paradigms and reimagine education as more linguistically and culturally equitable. Assessments grounded in CRP’s principles of academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness challenge the exclusionary logic of monolingual testing and offer a more just, inclusive approach for evaluating Multilingual Learners.

Authors

• Rebekah Lea Phelps, Texas Tech University

• Jocelyn Belden, Georgia State University