Making a Grade

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A01=James Elwick
accountability
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Author_James Elwick
automatic-update
behaviour
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=JNB
Category=JNDH
Category=JNKD
Category=JNM
Category=PDX
cheating
COP=Canada
cramming
credentials
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
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eq_non-fiction
eq_science
eq_society-politics
history of education
history of science behavior
infrastructure
Language_English
metrics
objectivity
PA=Available
Price_€50 to €100
PS=Active
science education
softlaunch
standardized testing
statistics
Victorian studies

Product details

  • ISBN 9781487508937
  • Weight: 580g
  • Dimensions: 159 x 235mm
  • Publication Date: 18 Mar 2021
  • Publisher: University of Toronto Press
  • Publication City/Country: CA
  • Product Form: Hardback
  • Language: English
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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.

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