B-School Students Fail Test

Harvard Business School students may be on their way to making millions, but their writing skills don't make the grade.

About 30 percent of incoming first-year students--more than 200 out of a class of 800--failed a mandatory writing test during orientation, school officials said.

"It's a well-known fact that people in business have poor writing skills," said Andrew S. Park, a first-year Business School student. "The poor showing on the assessment test may stem from the large portion of international students in the school."

But officials said that native English speakers made up about 80 percent of those who did not pass the writing assessment.

Janice McCormick, director of individual skills for the MBA Program, told the Harbus News last week that the failure of the American educational system to develop writing skills is a key factor in the poor performance of native speakers. McCormick said last year's inaugural assessment of student writing saw similar results.

Some worry that a lack of writing skills will hurt students who pursue business careers.

"The ability to write is one of the most essential skills for survival in the business world," said Nancy Sommers, director of the undergraduate Expository Writing program. "People in business write all the time."

The Business School writing examination tested business writing skills, which, McCormick told the Harbus, are somewhat different from general writing abilities.

During the two-hour assessment, students were required to read and analyze a Wall Street Journal article. They then had to write a six-page recommendation for a company based on the article.

This fall, the school administration hired five professional writers to grade the 800 assessments.

Many examinations were read multiple times before receiving a final mark.

The same five writers will also lead writing workshops in the fall. All students who failed the writing test are required to attend, officials said. To pass the workshops--which consist either of an eight-week course on writing fundamentals or a four-week course on argumentation--students must pass a final assessment.

Park theorized that the administration "made the standards tougher intentionally in order to single out students for writing help before the rigors of the school year begin."

McCormick said the same to the Harbus.

"These assessments confirm our commitment to helping students develop core competencies to their fullest potential," McCormick told the Harbus.