ATLANTA -- Maybe ditching the cherished 6.0 won't be so bad, after all.

American skaters give generally positive reviews for the high-tech, computer-based scoring system tested by the International Skating Union in the Grand Prix series last fall. It still needs some work, of course, but it isn't ruining the sport -- something many initially feared would happen.

"The new system can be better than the old system,'' three-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss said Wednesday.

It could be approved for full-time use as early as the ISU Congress in June. The traditional 6.0 system is being used this week at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. And there will be a third scoring format at the world championships: the anonymous, interim system introduced last year.

The ISU created the new scoring system after the Salt Lake City judging scandal, in hopes of making the sport more accountable. Instead of the century-old 6.0 scale, the new system is based on points. Every technical element, from spins to footwork to jumps, has a set value based on its difficulty. Judges can add anywhere from plus-3 points to minus-3 points to the base value of a jump or element, and plus-1.5 to minus-1 for a spin.

Skaters also get five component marks for such things as choreography and skating skills.

The technical and component scores are added for one grand total, and the highest wins.

"At the beginning, I was very upset, because I didn't trust where and how it was developed,'' said Dick Button, the 1948 and '52 Olympic champion.

"Where I've changed my mind is in that first set of marks. Instead of taking off from 6.0, the score builds up,'' Button said. "Young skaters are doing more difficult elements. The depth of skating and quality of skating is improving tremendously.''

One of the early criticisms of the new system was that it would turn skating into a jumping contest. But coach Frank Carroll has seen just the opposite.

"If you don't do the transitions, and you're not able to do difficulty at the end of the program, it's definitely a detriment,'' said Carroll, who coaches Olympic bronze medalist Tim Goebel. "It's made people spin better. It's made people look at the overall program more than we have in the past.''

The new system also makes for purer competition, Goebel and Weiss said. Under the 6.0 system, judges have to "place'' skaters, and they save marks for better skaters still to come. A skater who competes early might do the best program but won't necessarily be rewarded for it.

And because of factored placements, skaters who finish fourth or lower in the short program can't win the overall event unless the skaters above them bomb in the free skate.

"I do like the fact you have opportunities after the short program to win the competition,'' Weiss said. "It brings a lot of the competitive spirit back into skating.''

But the system isn't without its flaws. One frequent criticism is that base values of some of the technical elements need to be changed. A triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, for example, is worth nine points while a quad toe is worth eight, Weiss said. But most skaters say a quad is a tougher jump.

There also have been some glaring disparities in marks. Ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto had component scores in the high 7s and low 8s at Skate America. But the marks dropped to 5.25 at their next competition -- even though they felt they skated better.

"Just like we put our programs together, and we have to work out the kinks here and there, they're putting together a good program and trying to work out the bugs,'' Agosto said.

The biggest criticism, though, is the potential for biased judging. Marks are awarded anonymously under the new system, and a judge won't be questioned unless his or her marks are noticeably out of line with the others. The ISU says it's simply protecting judges from outside pressure, but there's no accountability with anonymity.

And while there are criteria for the component marks, those marks are still largely subjective.

"That's where the judges can still cheat if they want to,'' Button said.

Though U.S. skaters have the potential to see three different judging systems this year, most said the switching back and forth doesn't affect them. The fans, though, might need a scorecard just to keep up with which system is which.

"From a fan standpoint, it is confusing seeing all these systems,'' Weiss said. "I think we might have to sacrifice a few years of confusion for the greater good of the sport.''