College of Education Message Regarding Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory (S/NS) Grading
All eligible Michigan State University students may request to have their grades recorded in a binary grading system of Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory (S/NS) for each eligible course in which they are enrolled during the Spring 2020 semester.
Students taking courses in the Kinesiology, Elementary Education, and Special Education majors and the Secondary Education program that have a minimum grade requirement will still be held to that minimum grade requirement even if the course is taken as S/NS. If students choose to convert a course to an S/NS, the numerical grade assigned will be used to meet the minimum grade requirement. This includes:
- The Kinesiology Six-Course Admission Core Requirement
- The Professional Education Requirements for Elementary and Secondary Certification
- The Planned Program Requirements for Elementary Certification
- The Teacher Preparation 5th Year Internship for Elementary and Secondary Certification
Students preparing for graduate school application should opt for the numerical (0.0 – 4.0) grading system for prerequisite courses required for admission. This recommendation stems from a number of graduate programs stating that they will not accept prerequisite courses graded in the S/NS grading system if the student has the option of posting a numerical grade instead. Note that while some grad programs may accept prerequisite courses graded in the binary S/NS system, they may request that you also report your numerical grades for those courses when applying to their programs. It is important that you check the policies of each program that you plan to apply to. More information can be found in the FAQs.
Students will receive their instructor-assigned numerical grades before having to decide whether they wish to have their grade recorded by the Registrar’s Office using the binary grading system of S/NS. The window for requesting conversion to S/NS will be open from May 6, 2020 (the day that grades are posted) until midnight on May 20, 2020.
We encourage students to consult with an academic advisor in May to determine if the S/NS option is the best decision for them. Academic advisors will continue to “meet” with students via phone or zoom appointments during this time. Schedule an appointment through the online system. Indicate phone or zoom preference in the comments box when you schedule your time.