Abstract
This article is a brief essay about grades and their meaning in law school. I first lay out some common vocabulary, discussing in turn three variables that define the structure of law school grading systems: the basis of grading, the form of grading, and the flexibility of the grading system. Then, I put the variables together to offer some thoughts on what grading systems mean and what is at stake in them. To anticipate my conclusion, everything about who we are and what we believe is at stake in the grading process.