A proposal requiring testing for Florida students’ cursive writing ability passed its second House committee Thursday, the last stop before it goes before the full House.
HB 127 would put in state law a requirement to test elementary students on their ability to write and read cursive.
“We’re in a digital age right now, and we’ve really lost sight of our foundational skills that connect us to our history and sharpen our minds. If our students can’t read cursive, they can’t read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, or even a grandparent’s handwritten letter,” bill co-sponsor Rep. Dana Trabulsy told the House Education & Employment Committee. “Cursive writing isn’t just a skill, it’s a link to our heritage and a tool for lifelong learning.”
Existing state law does not require cursive writing, but State Board of Education curricula do. The board, however, does not require students to prove proficiency.
The state requires public schools to teach students how to write upper- and lower-case letters in third grade, consistently readable cursive in fourth grade, and, in fifth grade, to write as fast in cursive as they would writing print.
The bill would require that, by the end of fifth grade, “each student must demonstrate proficiency in cursive writing through an evaluation of written work.”
Proficiency is defined as writing upper- and lower-case letters, legibly writing words with proper spacing, and reading and writing essays and assignments in cursive.
“I think as we get into the AI era where we’re going to see a return to hand-testing, it’s super important, and I hope our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol will make this happen,” Rep. Judson Sapp, a Republicans from Green Cove Springs, said.
The identical Senate bill, SB 444 by Republican Sen. Erin Grall from Vero Beach, has three committees to pass before the whole Senate would vote on it. It has not been scheduled for any meetings yet.
Opponents of the bill last year questioned the need for more tests for students to have to take.
The bill has been attempted several times in previous years. Trabulsy said she tried to kill the bill in a previous legislative session, “because who writes cursive anymore?”
However, her bank teller told her that several bank customers simply sign an “X” instead of writing their unique signature. That story changed her mind, she said.
The bill passed the committee unanimously.
–Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
JimboXYZ says
I’m more surprised that the educational system lowered the bar for handwriting proficiency in the 1st place. Such a basic skill that anyone needs for a lifetime. Don’t battle communication skills at the core foundation of basic functionality in this world.