Cursive handwriting instruction in the United States

History

Cursive has traditionally been used as a way of signing one's name, a signature, and is considered a very important skill. The last few lines of the Declaration of Independence remind us what it means to inscribe a signature.

While many people sign their names enough that it becomes very routine, it is still an important skill to have. A false signature, forgery, is a punishable by law offense. Writing a check, signing a credit slip, signing a marriage certificate, and signing an apartment lease are just a few of the occasions when a valid signature is necessary. Signatures are reflections of the identity of a person and that person as a professional.

Important Figures

Autographs are some of the most expensive collectors items on the market. Typically, an autograph is a signature written in cursive by someone of notable fame. One of the most notable signatures comes from John Hancock, which is also the most notable signature on the Declaration of Independence.

No Child Left Behind

When the No Child Left Behind Act was implemented, several changes were made to the classroom curriculum. One of those changes, that has been frequently altered, is the requirement for cursive handwriting. The U.S. Department of Education has provided updates of the changes as they are implemented into the school systems. The general curriculum states that by 5th grade, students use cursive exclusively and give oral presentations. While there have been more recent updates of the required curriculum for primary schools nationwide, cursive handwriting has been an essential part of reading and writing instruction.

Handwriting

"Handwriting is a psychomotor skill taught by instruction". Handwriting instruction is a student's primary means of communicating academic progress to teachers, and that is doubly true for cursive handwriting instruction. There are many important aspects of handwriting instruction, the most important items are; age of handwriting instruction, handwriting style, methods of handwriting instruction, handwriting equipment, evaluation, and handwriting difficulties. Legibility is the main determinant in handwriting evaluations, especially cursive handwriting. It is very important that handwriting instruction is taught properly; it is a skill that is very difficult to restore if it is gained incorrectly.

Current Events

Many schools have removed cursive handwriting instruction from their curriculum. A recent news article claims that a new bill could require cursive writing in schools again. While the bill was filed in North Carolina, it is something that is being conversed about in many of the states of America. If the bill is approved, it will alter the curriculum to include cursive handwriting instruction. "These schools would be required to provide instruction for students to create legible, cursive documents by the end of the fifth grade." Under the LCS cursive guidelines, student's are not expected to be completely proficient in cursive writing by the end of the fifth grade but be able to use the skill. When the system was revisited, after the skill was taken out of the core requirements, school therapists reported that some students struggled with manuscript but excelled in cursive writing. Several students interviewed said they enjoy writing in cursive for reasons such that "you can write faster than normal," "you can use it as you get older," and "it helps you learn more." Students in Atlantic Shores Christian School, in Virginia, say that there is no substitute for cursive handwriting instruction. Cursive is something you need to sign your name in a legal document, "it teaches you to get more muscles in your hand," and "because it's fun...you get to do different symbols than normal." Many schools have adopted keyboarding as an alternative to cursive handwriting instruction. Because cursive handwriting instruction has been removed from the mandatory curriculum, schools around the country are debating whether or not to spend teaching resources on penmanship. It is unknown whether or not the next generation will be taught to read manuscripts, although the sentiment, "Nobody reads handwriting anymore," expressed by Luis von Ahn, seems to encourage the idea that cursive handwriting instruction may become obsolete in the near future.

Text Messaging

Text messaging, or simply texting, is a very popular way to communicate through a text only message. It began as a simple message sent from a computer in 1992 to a billion dollar operation in 2011. Passing notes in class has become a thing of the past as it is not very common to see students in grades K-12 without a cellular phone but the majority of cell phone owners who text on a regular basis are age 18-25. Forty-one states have adopted new standards that replace cursive handwriting instruction with keyboarding. Students in Augusta, Georgia expressed that "texting is my life" and "texting is more fun". While it may be an acceptable form of communication among friends, text lingo is also diminishing proper grammar and spelling techniques. As the use of textese increases, test scores, specifically grammar, decrease.