grades

1. A rating.

   I gave him a good grade for effort.

2. The performance of an individual or group on an examination or test, expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a score.

   He got a good grade on the test.

3. A degree or level of something; a position within a scale; a degree of quality.
4. A slope (up or down) of a roadway or other passage

   The grade of this hill is more than 5 percent.

5. A level of primary and secondary education.

   Clancy is entering the fifth grade this year.

6. A student of a particular grade (used with the grade level).

   The grade fives are on a field trip.

7. An area that has been flattened by a grader (construction machine).
8. The level of the ground.

   This material absorbs moisture and is probably not a good choice for use below grade.

9. A gradian.
10. In a linear system of divisors on an n-dimensional variety, the number of free intersection points of n generic divisors.
11. A harsh scraping or cutting; a grating.
12. A taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity that is not a clade.
13. The degree of malignity of a tumor expressed on a scale.

1. To assign scores to the components of an academic test.
2. To assign a score to overall academic performance.
3. To organize in grades.

   a graded reader

4. To flatten, level, or smooth a large surface.
5. To remove or trim part of a seam allowance from a finished seam so as to reduce bulk and make the finished piece more even when turned right side out.
6. To pass imperceptibly from one grade into another.

noun

Grammar school, primary school, or the years of school prior to high school.