At a quick glance, it appears that an A may not happen for this particular writer in language arts.

The question is: Why is the goal always straight A’s when they are not generally attainable by most? I’m glad to see that this writer would, at least, accept an occasional B – but this, too, is not always possible.

So the real question is: Have the students done their best? Have they learned about a particular world view they never knew before, or unlocked the door to series books or to poetry, or found a skill at memorization or debate? Did they help other students, make a new friend different from themselves, or learn to accept criticism ? Did they actually do heavy editing on a writing piece rather than merely fixing a few typos?

A plus.