Wisconsin Assembly Considers Making Teaching Cursive Mandatory In Elementary Schools

Once upon a time, it was so important that no one would have even considered not teaching it to elementary school kids.  But advancements in technology and the current acceptance of Common Core standards have all but left the practice of cursive handwriting lost to pages of time. A current bill in the Wisconsin Assembly would change that.

The proposed legislation would "require the state superintendent to incorporate cursive writing into academic standards for English language arts".  Students in all elementary schools in the state would need to be taught the form of handwriting, and be able to "write legibly in cursive by the end of fifth grade".

If passed, the bill would become law and would oversee all elementary schools in Wisconsin - across all school districts - including public, charter, and private. The handwriting would become part of the academic standards required by Wisconsin schools.

One of the sponsors of the bill is State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt, a former teacher.  He says that "teaching cursive will stimulate different parts of the brain and improve the education of students".

Meanwhile, opponents - including "groups that represent school boards, superintendents, and administrators", propose that the move to require teaching cursive to elementary school age children in the state would be "a costly mandate".  They counter that their time and money would be better spent "teaching more modern forms of communication".

For now, the legislative bill is only a proposed bill.  To become law, it would need to pass both chambers again this session, and then be signed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.

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While cursive isn't mandatory anymore, it is still included in the Wisconsin Standards for English Language Arts as "a method for writing", but is only listed as a option for students alongside printing and typing.