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Author Elwick, James, 1973- author

Title Making a grade : Victorian examinations and the rise of standardized testing / James Elwick
Published Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, [2021]

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Description 1 online resource
Contents "The Age of Examinations": A Historical Sketch -- Monetizing Marks: The Political Economy of Examinations -- An Epistemology of the Mundane: Dissecting One Examination -- Daguerreotypes of the Mind: Paper, Partition, and Specialization -- Machining Minds: Commensuration, Tabulation, and Standardization -- Thin Descriptions: Credentials and Other Signals -- Learning and Earning: Coaching or Cramming? -- Immoral Economies: How to Cheat on a Victorian Exam -- Economies, Remoralized: Examinations as Technologies of Inclusion
Summary "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, over 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 practises 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 appeared first as "cameras" to neutrally record achievement, then became "engines" to change education as people tailored their behaviour to fit these tests. Taking the perspective of both examiners and examinees, Making a Grade claims that our own culture's desire for accountability through objective testing is not a new one."-- Provided by publisher
Analysis Victorian studies
accountability
behaviour
cheating
cramming
credentials
history of education
history of science behavior
infrastructure
metrics
objectivity
science education
standardized testing
statistics
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on April 22, 2021)
Subject Educational tests and measurements -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century
Examinations -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century
Education -- Standards -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century
EDUCATION / Evaluation & Assessment
Education -- Standards
Educational tests and measurements
Examinations
Great Britain
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781487539351
1487539355
9781487539344
1487539347