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

In the British Isles, achievement tests were standardized in the 1850s and administered on an industrial scale, with more than two million people writing mass exams. This book argues that standardized testing practices have a long history, initially appearing as cameras to neutrally record achievement and then becoming engines to change education as people tailored their behavior to fit these tests.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 304 pages
\n Publication date: 18 March 2021
\n Publisher: University of Toronto Press
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Standardized achievement tests began to be implemented in the British Isles in the 1850s, and they were conducted on a massive scale. By the turn of the century, over two million individuals had taken mass examinations, particularly in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. Some candidates chose to cheat or cram for these exams, while others saw the hope that these tests would reward not only knowledge but also merit. Written with a humorous tone, Making a Grade explores the stealthy emergence and global spread of standardized testing practices. This book situates mass exams, marks, and credentials within an emerging paper-based meritocracy, arguing that such exams initially emerged as tools for objectively recording achievement and subsequently evolved into engines that shaped education as individuals tailored their behavior to conform to these tests. By examining the perspectives of both examiners and examinees, Making a Grade makes the case that our cultures have a long history of seeking accountability through objective testing.

\n Weight: 624g\n
Dimension: 161 x 237 x 28 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781487508937\n \n