Testing wars in the public schools : a forgotten history / William J. Reese.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reese, William J., 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Educational tests and measurements--United States--History--19th century.

Educational tests and measurements.

Public schools--United States--History--19th century.

Public schools.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (298 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2013.

Summary:

Written tests to evaluate students were a radical and controversial innovation when American educators began adopting them in the 1800's. Testing quickly became a key factor in the political battles during this period that gave birth to America's modern public school system. William J. Reese offers a richly detailed history of an educational revolution that has so far been only partially told. Single-classroom schools were the norm throughout the United States at the turn of the nineteenth century. Pupils demonstrated their knowledge by rote recitation of lessons and were often assessed according to criteria of behavior and discipline having little to do with academics. Convinced of the inadequacy of this system, the reformer Horace Mann and allies on the Boston School Committee crafted America's first written exam and administered it as a surprise in local schools in 1845. The embarrassingly poor results became front-page news and led to the first serious consideration of tests as a useful pedagogic tool and objective measure of student achievement. A generation after Mann's experiment, testing had become widespread. Despite critics' ongoing claims that exams narrowed the curriculum, ruined children's health, and turned teachers into automatons, once tests took root in American schools their legitimacy was never seriously challenged. Testing Wars in the Public Schools puts contemporary battles over scholastic standards and benchmarks into perspective by showcasing the historic successes and limitations of the pencil-and-paper exam.

Contents:

Festivals of learning

A-putting down sin

Screwing machines

A pile of thunder-bolts

Thanatopsis and square roots

Chewing pencil tops

The culture of testing

Front matter

Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER 1. Festivals of Learning

CHAPTER 2. A-Putting Down Sin

CHAPTER 3. Screwing Machines

CHAPTER 4. A Pile of Thunder-Bolts

CHAPTER 5. Thanatopsis and Square Roots

CHAPTER 6. Chewing Pencil Tops

CHAPTER 7. The Culture of Testing

Epilogue

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674075696

0674075692

9780674075672

0674075676

OCLC:

828869730