Many American adults will remember learning to write in cursive while in elementary school. But in recent years, it has no longer been a given that children will learn how to write in this style.
However, this elegant form of handwriting is making a comeback. As of the 2019 implementation, Texas is the latest state to adopt new requirements that students learn cursive in the classroom. (1)
Texas Students to Learn Cursive
In 2017, the Lone Star State made changes to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English Language Arts and Reading. These modifications go into effect during the 2019-2020 school year. (1)
The changes to TEKS included stipulations that elementary students would learn cursive. The expectations are spread across multiple grades. They build on each other every year from second to fourth grade. (2)
According to the outlined modifications, second graders will be expected to “develop handwriting by accurately forming all cursive letters using appropriate strokes when connecting letters.” Third graders will need to “write complete words, thoughts, and answers legibly in cursive leaving appropriate spaces between words.” And by fourth grade, students must “write legibly in cursive to complete assignments.” (2)
Upward Trend for Cursive
A formal American cursive system first originated in the mid-1800s. At the time, the way people wrote depended on their profession, social rank, and sex. Abolitionist Platt Rogers Spencer wanted to even the handwriting playing field. He created a cursive writing system and hoped it would catch on. Students learned cursive known as the Spencerian method through a textbook, and many schools and businesses quickly started using it. (3)
Texas is just one among many states that are returning to requirements that students learn cursive in school. There was a sharp drop in states teaching cursive in 2010. Standards for college- and career-readiness, such as the Common Core standards, did not include it that year. (1)
But states like Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, California, Florida, and North Carolina are jumping on board with cursive. With the addition of Texas, 18 states now require students to learn cursive. (1)
Cursive is especially popular in southern states. In 2016, the Southern Regional Education Board collected data showing that 14 out of the 16 states it manages require students to learn cursive. (1)
The Value of Cursive
There are varying opinions on how valuable it is for students to learn cursive. Anne Trubek, who wrote “The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting”, told CNN that she thinks the revival of teaching cursive is in reaction to ongoing changes, like technology. She doesn’t think that knowing how to write in cursive is necessary for students to develop their own signature. “I don’t think children should be required to learn cursive if they don’t want to,” she said. (1)
But Diane Schallert, a professor with the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, sees cursive differently. She takes into account how learning cursive can impact students’ cognitive development. (4)
“With language comprehension, there’s this reciprocity between producing and comprehending,” Schallert told WCNC. “By seeing the letter being formed slowly at your control, you’re considering its sound-symbol correspondence.” (4) On this point, Trubek agrees. “Handwriting is slower,” she told CNN, “and sometimes you just want to slow down.” (1)
