Goes into effect for 2017 school year

Fans of John Hancock and his elegant signature on the Declaration of Independence should be rejoicing now that the art of cursive writing will be preserved by a recent act of the Louisiana Legislature.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law a two-page bill that states, “Cursive writing shall be taught in all public schools. Each public school shall ensure that such instruction is introduced by the third grade and incorporated into the curriculum in grades 4 through 12.” The new teaching requirement is effective for the 2017 school year.

The Common Core State Standards, which have been under heavy attack in Louisiana and nationwide, do not require teaching handwriting, which is an option for states. Louisiana adopted a new set of standards to replace Common Core, although most educators say the two sets of standards are nearly identical in many ways. The new standards did not include cursive writing, and state officials do not know how many school districts in the state were not teaching cursive, or if so, for how many years.

Proponents of the new law cite many reasons in support, including history, the ability to read historical documents like the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as well as having a known signature for legal identification. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Beth Mizell, said, “It’s more than just the idea of writing with pen and paper, it’s the development of the brain when you use it to write cursive.”

Those that oppose the requirement point to the electronic world of iPhones, iPads and laptops, saying keyboard knowledge is much more important as most of the world’s business transactions rely on the printed/typed word. Educators complain meeting the standardized teaching requirements leaves little time for classroom “extras,” and time spent on cursive instruction will take away from more meaningful classroom instruction.

In Bossier schools, cursive writing is taught in the second semester of second grade for 15- to 20-minute sessions, which, according to spokesperson Sonja Bailes, equals approximately 1,800 minutes each year.

Bailes said, in the 2015-2106 school year, teachers of grades third through fifth were required to “monitor cursive handwriting through assignments.” She also said Bossier will be fully ready to implement the new cursive writing requirement and that handwriting is part of the curriculum for grades kindgarten through third.

Caddo Schools spokesman Mary Nash Woods said, “Handwriting has been integrated into language development within the district for over a decade.” But unlike Bossier, Woods said with writing, much like spelling, “it is a best practice not to teach such skills in isolation as that is not beneficial to student learning nor a prudent use of time.” Like Bossier, Caddo utilizes the Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Guide for the instruction of writing.

Woods said Caddo, like other districts across the state, was waiting for guidelines from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for implementation of the new law.

Louisiana now joins at least seven other states that have put an emphasis on cursive writing. North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas now have laws on the books mandating this instruction. Alabama, California, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Utah and Georgia have added cursive instructions to their Common Core standards.

Leaving aside the issue of whether or not cursive should be taught in elementary grades – like in the “old days” – the question of having mandatory instruction through high school graduation is certainly a debatable requirement. As the education world continues to depend more and more on high stakes mandatory standardized testing and more emphasis on student achievement in teacher evaluations, the new requirements for middle school and high school students will certainly draw close scrutiny. A legislative amendment to reduce the number of years of cursive instruction may be a practical solution for consideration.

– John E. Settle Jr.

John E. Settle Jr. is an attorney who has practiced in Shreveport- Bossier since 1977. His columns have appeared in local publications for more than 15 years. He can be reached at 742-5513 or John@ settlelawfirm.com.