Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing - Hardcover

Elwick, James

 
9781487508937: Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 148750893X ISBN 13: 9781487508937
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2021

Synopsis

Starting in the 1850s achievement tests became standardized in the British Isles, and were administered on an industrial scale. By the end of the century more than two million people had written mass exams, particularly in science, technology, and mathematics. Some candidates responded to this standardization by cramming or cheating; others embraced the hope that such tests rewarded not only knowledge but also merit.

Written with humour, Making a Grade looks at how standardized testing practices quietly appeared, and then spread worldwide. This book situates mass exams, marks, and credentials in an emerging paper-based meritocracy, arguing that such exams often first appeared as "cameras" to neutrally record achievement, and then became "engines" to change education as people tailored their behaviour to fit these tests. Taking the perspectives of both examiners and examinees, Making a Grade claims that our own culture’s desire for accountability through objective testing has a long history.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

James Elwick is an associate professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at York University.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Publication date
2021
Language
English
ISBN 10 
148750893X
ISBN 13 
9781487508937
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
304