Designed to assist community college instructors in the difficult task of grading students, this seven-part guidebook provides philosophical, theoretical and practical advice. Section I covers common problems associated with grading, the need for grades, and the link between grades and subsequent performance. Section II, "Limitations of Grades," addresses the tendency for grades to lack clear definition and to be unreliable; and examines absolute versus relative grading systems. In section III, "Grading Achievement Versus Related Factors," grades based on improvement and criterion referenced grading are explored. Section IV, "The Single Versus the Multiple Grading System," looks at the number of grades on the grade scale, whether letters or numbers should be used to denote grades, and the meaning of grades. Section V, "Basing Grades on Composite Scores," is followed by sections providing a short bibliography and a glossary of terms. (JMC)