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

Elwick, James

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.

About this title

About the Author

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

Edition details

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