Book ID: CBB078612921

Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing (2021)

unapi

Elwick, James M. (Author)


University of Toronto Press


Publication Date: 2021
Physical Details: 237
Language: English

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.

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Reviewed By

Review William J. Reese (2022) Review of "Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing". Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences (pp. 260-262). unapi

Review Jonathan Reinarz (2022) Review of "Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing". Bulletin of the History of Medicine (pp. 135-136). unapi

Review Annette Mülberger (2022) Review of "Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 881-882). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB078612921/

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Authors & Contributors
Despy-Meyer, Andrée
Smith, Mike U.
Beauvais, Clementine
Berry, Michelle K.
Medwed, Karen
Roberts, Jessica
Concepts
Teaching; pedagogy
Education
Primary and secondary education
Science and culture
Science education and teaching
Mathematics education
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
21st century
20th century
18th century
17th century
Places
Great Britain
United States
Bath (England)
Netherlands
Sweden
Japan
Institutions
Polytechnic Touring Association
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