Studies suggest that the shift towards standards based instruction has left educators without clear grading guidelines to achieve accurate communication with educational stakeholders amidst changing assessment practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships linking assessment, grading, and elementary teachers’ perceptions of the ability of their grading scheme in communicating and accurately reporting student performance. This study sought to determine if teachers compute grades based on the assessment type they believe most accurately communicated student performance. Surveys regarding beliefs about the communication properties of types of assessment and individual grading practices were completed by 41 elementary teachers in northwest Georgia. A gamma correlation was used to test predictive associations between the perceived communication properties of assessment types and the assessment type actually employed to calculate grades. The results identified a significant and positive relationship between the assessment type teachers believed to communicate student performance effectively to parents and the assessment type most often used in assigning grades. No relationship was found linking grading practices to the assessment type teachers believed accurately communicated performance to students, indicating a serious gap in communicating grading practices. These results confirmed similar inconsistencies in grading practices identified in other research. This study can contribute to positive social change by informing discussion and collaboration regarding the use of assessment and grading to accurately communicate student performance; and thus, ensure educational decisions are made from a foundation of mutually shared understanding.