Grades--A commodity or evidence of real learning?

As someone who works primarily with curriculum and the instructional program in an elementary setting, I often address parent concerns that stem from grades their child has earned on an assessment.  More often than not, the perspective of "grades" is generated from the notion that they are a commodity to be earned and the better a child performs, the higher the grade.

While this is not necessarily untrue, I feel that focusing solely on this aspect can diminish the real purpose and intent behind grades.  In the most authentic sense, grades are intended to assess and promote student learning and academic progress. 

That being said, I believe it is critical for parents to reflect on these questions when reviewing their child's work samples and examining grades:

1) Is my child meeting the expectation of the standards?
2) Does he/she have a deeper understanding of the concepts being presented? (More than rote memorization--but true application of knowledge)
3) How can this learning be applied to real world situations and ideas?
4) If my child performed poorly, what are the specific learning gaps?  Likewise, if my child exceeded the standards, how can he/she be appropriately challenged with other learning opportunities? 

Finally, I want to emphasize that "grades" alone carry little meaning without consideration of the learning behind them.  I encourage all parents to look closely and more deeply at student work samples that come home on a regular basis to ascertain the true meaning of the letter grade inscribed on the paper. When we focus on "authentic learning" versus learning to simply pass the test, we can ensure that our children are truly prepared for their next steps in the real world of an ever-changing and increasingly complex society.