Test Taking in the Capitol

Life in the Capitol is full of unofficial tests. We test the waters with new ideas, we test the public’s appetite for change, and we occasionally test the limits!

            Once upon a time, employees of the Superintendent of Public Instruction also proctored actual tests for prospective teachers in the Capitol. This system spanned several decades during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before a more formalized teacher training system was integrated into colleges and universities.

            Depending on the number of test takers, these examinations were held in either the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Office (in the west wing of the first and ground floors) or occasionally in one of the Chambers. The tests were generally offered around the holidays and/or in the summertime.

            Nora Belle Sharpsteen, a clerk and stenographer who worked for the Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1893-1909, administered many exams during her tenure. You can learn more about her and the old Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Suite, in our redressed Office Case in Heritage Hall. We’ll also be telling more stories about the Superintendents and their staff in our February Capitol Conversation.