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Bestseller
BestsellerE-book
Author Elwick, James, 1973- author.

Title Making a grade : Victorian examinations and the rise of standardized testing / James Elwick.

Publication Info. Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, [2021]

Item Status

Description 1 online resource
Physical Medium polychrome
Description text file
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index.
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.
Local Note eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America
Subject Educational tests and measurements -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
Educational tests and measurements.
Great Britain.
History.
Chronological Term 19th century
Subject Examinations -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
Examinations.
Education -- Standards -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
Education -- Standards.
EDUCATION / Evaluation & Assessment.
Chronological Term 1800-1899
Genre/Form Electronic books.
Electronic books.
History.
Other Form: Print version: Elwick, James, 1973- Making a grade. Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, 2021 148750893X 9781487508937 (OCoLC)1223015820
ISBN 9781487539351 EPUB
1487539355 EPUB
9781487539344 electronic book
1487539347 electronic book