A proposal requiring testing for Florida students鈥� cursive writing ability passed its second House committee Thursday, the last stop before it goes before the full House.
would put in state law a requirement to test elementary students on their ability to write and read cursive.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a digital age right now, and we鈥檝e really lost sight of our foundational skills that connect us to our history and sharpen our minds. If our students can鈥檛 read cursive, they can鈥檛 read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, or even a grandparent鈥檚 handwritten letter,鈥� bill co-sponsor Rep. Dana Trabulsy told the House Education & Employment Committee. 鈥淐ursive writing isn鈥檛 just a skill, it鈥檚 a link to our heritage and a tool for lifelong learning.鈥�
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, 鈥渆ach student must demonstrate proficiency in cursive writing through an evaluation of written work.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 think as we get into the AI era where we鈥檙e going to see a return to hand-testing, it鈥檚 super important, and I hope our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol will make this happen,鈥� Rep. Judson Sapp, a Republicans from Green Cove Springs, said.
The identical Senate bill, 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, 鈥渂ecause who writes cursive anymore?鈥�
However, her bank teller told her that several bank customers simply sign an 鈥淴鈥� instead of writing their unique signature. That story changed her mind, she said.
The bill passed the committee unanimously.
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