Some Ohio lawmakers don't want to see cursive writing disappear from the classroom. A bill introduced on Tuesday in the House with bipartisan support would require cursive writing to be taught in all elementary schools.
Some Ohio lawmakers don’t want to see cursive writing disappear from the classroom.
A bill introduced on Tuesday in the House with bipartisan support would require cursive writing to be taught in all elementary schools.
Students would receive handwriting instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade. They would be expected to print legibly by third grade and write in cursive by the end of fifth.
>>Like Dispatch Politics on Facebook
While much communication in the digital age takes place at the keyboard or on a smartphone, Rep. Cheryl L. Grossman, one of the sponsors of House Bill 146, said she’s heard complaints about the disappearance of cursive writing from teachers, parents and others.
“I’ve heard teachers talk about historical documents that students can’t read. If we’re not careful, we’re going to lose a foundation skill that everyone should have,” said Grossman, R-Grove City.
“Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but we’ve lost the art of correspondence and communication.”
Ohio schools base their curriculum on Common Core academic standards issued in 2010. They do not require that students be taught cursive handwriting, leaving such instruction to the discretion of local school districts.
“Cursive has been over the last 10 years removed from the basic curriculum, and many of the schools no longer teach it,” said Rep. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell and one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
He dismisses arguments that students no longer need to know how to write cursive. He said research both in the U.S. and abroad shows that cursive writing helps brain development and makes better writers, which leads to better readers down the road. Brenner said writing in cursive also helps dyslexic students perform better.
“It is crucial for students, especially early on.”
And later on as well, Grossman said, referring to studies showing that students who took longhand notes during lectures retained more information than those who typed their notes on tablets or laptops.
The Ohio Board of Education agrees and adopted a resolution in February reiterating its support for the instruction of cursive, noting benefits in developing fine motor skills and improving literacy.
While not included in state academic standards, Department of Education officials noted on Tuesday that the model curriculum for grades three and four available for use by schools includes resources for teaching cursive.
House Bill 146, with 13 cosponsors including several minority Democrats, follows a state law that went into effect last year requiring students to read at grade level before they are promoted to the fourth grade.
But unlike the “third-grade reading guarantee,” the writing legislation would not require retention of students who fail to meet the requirements.
Local educators would be tasked with developing handwriting instruction for kindergarten through fifth grade.
Similar bills have passed in other states in recent years, including California, Georgia, Massachusetts and Tennessee. Lawmakers in Nevada and elsewhere are considering such requirements.