Grades and test scores serve as motifs that emphasize the importance of grades. Students learn from a young age that good grades are the ultimate objective, and much of their future education hinges on grades earned way back in elementary school: “Fifth-grade grades would be used to see which kids got into the higher math classes at the junior high. [… And] which kids got into the advanced English classes and the foreign language program and the accelerated science classes” (28). These grades only evaluate a small range of intelligence types, relying on worksheets and memorization to assess a student’s ability. If a student doesn’t exhibit these specific strengths as an 11-year-old, then the highest quality education becomes unattainable to them: They can’t take higher-level classes, where teachers might give them the creative liberties that help many students of all abilities thrive. The only way to guarantee success is by becoming a “grim little A-making machine” at an early age, like Nora’s sister Ann (28). Report cards, then, are the final authority determining whether a student has, by this system’s definition, achieved.

Similarly, Dr. Trindler’s certificates and diplomas are like adult report cards, and they don’t necessarily represent as much as students expect.