Hi Jeni!
I think first you need to get a realistic picture of your school's grading policy. I will say that our elementary grades are not what I consider appropriate grading, and not inline at all with our middle school and up grading. In elementary, we use a 1-4 system, with 4's being "above grade level" but often unattainable, even by the most gifted student. My oldest's very consistent 3's and occasional 2's turned into straight A's in 7th.
I agree with you on elementary grading. The primary grades here (k-2) use a 1-3 system, and teachers just don't give 3's very often. It's very hard for parents to interpret such numbers, especially when we know what our children can do. DD8 is now in third grade and getting A's on her report card, although not on all assignments.
I'm also surprised that "effort" and "attention" and similar things figure into grades. Our kids receive conduct scores which incorporate these things but are unrelated to performance.
