Eastern officials are looking to change the rubric used to measure competence for the Electronic Writing Portfolio, saying the current system doesn’t accurately measure a student’s abilities.

The Council on Academic Affairs Thursday discussed changing the rubric from its current two-point standards rating of “minimally competent” and “not competent” to a four-point system where the rating would go from “highly competent, competent, minimal competent and not competent.” Those students with a “not competent” rating would not be allowed to graduate.

All Eastern students enrolled after the 2000 university catalog have to complete the writing portfolio as a graduation requirement.

Before the 2001 catalog, students took a writing competency exam existing of multiple-choice questions and several essays. Doug Bock, CAA vice chair and speech communications professor, said the exam didn’t present an accurate understanding of a student’s writing ability.

The rubric used to measure the writing portfolio also doesn’t accurately measure a student’s writing ability, according to some in attendance of the CAA meeting Thursday.

“We are trying to evaluate what type of writing each student uses, not only if they are competent in all forms,” said Mary Anne Hanner, dean of the College of Sciences. “I believe that this rubric is broad enough to do both.”

CAA received a memo from two groups, the Writing Across the Curriculum Committee and the Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning, requesting a change in the current rubric.

Karla Sanders, director of the Center for the Academic Support and Achievement, agrees a policy change has to be made.

“It was between grading standards that simply aren’t broad enough for us to get a good idea of a student’s writing,” Sanders said.

“We had 2,800 essays that we deemed to be minimally competent and not only doesn’t that give us an idea for the English department but it might also be considered insulting to an advanced writer.”

Many members of the council said Eastern needs a different rubric because it will affect other departments in curriculum.

“If we know how competent a student is writing, we can develop an appropriate revision workshop towards the student’s skills,” said Sanders.

The council did not vote on the subject Thursday, and the proposal will be on the group’s agenda next week.

The council meets at 2 p.m. next Thursday in the Arcola-Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.