Teach Cursive Writing In NJ Schools? This Bill Would Require It

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A blast from the past may resurface in New Jersey if a proposed law passes: cursive writing.

Ever since cursive was dropped as a requirement under Common Core standards in 2010, the skill has been disappearing from school curriculums in New Jersey, according to Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, who represents Bayonne and Jersey City.

But under A-6010, elementary schools in the Garden State would have to roll out activities and classroom instruction that help students become “proficient in reading and writing cursive” by the end of third grade.

Read the full bill.

In some cases, children are entering middle school without knowing how to sign their own name in cursive, McKnight said.

“We’re doing our children a disservice by not teaching them a vital skill they will need for the rest of their lives,” McKnight charged.

McKnight cited research from Scholastic that suggests learning to read and write in cursive benefits the development of cognitive, motor and literacy skills, and may help students with learning disabilities like dyslexia read and write with greater ease.

Nearly two dozen states have made efforts to reintroduce cursive in schools, including Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, the assemblywoman pointed out.

“Our world has indeed become increasingly dependent on technology, but how will our students ever know how to read a scripted font on a word document, or even sign the back of a check, if they never learn to read and write in cursive?” McKnight questioned.

The legislation would apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment. It now heads to the Assembly Education Committee for review.

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