The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy
by Nicholas Lemann
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A history of the Educational Testing Service and the attempt to form an elite by sorting students, "fairly and dispassionately."Tags
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Another of the older titles that has been on my reading list too long. Some of this history is important to consider again, as the SATs were in theory going to be revamped again in 2019 before public backlash put the kibosh on the planned "adversity score" that test takers would also get. You can learn from this title that this feature was first devised in the middle 20th century! And some of what feels backwards about standardized testing as a student or a teacher did make more sense with detailed background about its inception. Still, it was a bit too fussy about including a play-by-play of the ETS Corporation when we didn't need that to get the overall point.
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Author Information
13+ Works 1,525 Members
Nicholas Lemann, a native of New Orleans, developed an interest in journalism during his teenage years. This eagerness to write was coupled with a keen interest in United States history and literature. He pooled his curiosities, earning a degree in American literature and history from Harvard University in 1976. Journalism became Lemann's main show more occupation, as he built his writing career through working for the Washington Monthly, Texas Monthly, and the Washington Post. In 1983, he joined the Atlantic Monthly staff. His love for American history peaked with the publication of his commentary on the African-American migration to Chicago in search of jobs and a better life. Lemann's book, The Promised Land, captured the 1991 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in journalism. His articles span many interests, from book reviews and political topics to travel stories about the Catskill Mountains and other natural wonders. He contributes many articles, not only to the Atlantic Monthly but to several other magazines as well. Nicholas Lemann, his wife Dominique Browning, and their two sons live in New York City. (Bowker Author Biography) Nicholas Lemann was born in New Orleans in 1954. He has been a journalist for more than twenty years. His last book was the prizewinning The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America. He lives in Pelham, New York. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- People/Characters
- Henry Chauncey
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Sociology, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 371.26 — Society, government, & culture Education Schools and their activities; special education School organization; School records Assessment
- LCC
- LB3051 .L44 — Education Theory and practice of education Theory and practice of education School administration and organization School management and discipline Educational tests, measurements, evaluations
- BISAC
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- 259
- Popularity
- 125,223
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.76)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 1
