State colleges extend satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade option

The Nevada System of Higher Education will extend the satisfactory/ unsatisfactory grading option for students for the rest of the school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chancellor Melody Rose said in a statement this week that “after careful consideration of the passionate concerns voiced by NSHE students,” the system’s college and university presidents have all agreed to continue with the grading option.

“Our hope in announcing this decision is to alleviate the strain many students are experiencing during this unprecedented circumstance,” she said.

In April, the Board of Regents voted to make the S/U grading option available to students through the end of the spring 2020 semester and after final grades were issued. The decision announced Wednesday essentially extends that option.

Students at NSHE campuses will receive more specific details about grading options from their school, Rose said, including deadlines for requesting an S/U grade.

The presidents’ decision to extend S/U grading “was not one taken lightly,” Rose said, noting it can have wide-ranging implications for students who are receiving certain scholarships, are in particular disciplines or aim to attend graduate school.

“However, we understand the anxiety that the ongoing pandemic and resulting economic downturn have caused for our students, and we believe our campus advisers will provide students with the information needed to make informed and thoughtful decisions,’ she said.

The action comes after a Board of Regents meeting Friday, when a large number of public comments were from students asking for the extension of S/U grading.

At the meeting, Rose thanked those who shared their point of view and said she has been in conversations about the topic for weeks. She said grading policies are normally determined by individual schools.