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Cursive Handwriting

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Idaho Senate Bill (SB) 1044 finds that cursive handwriting is a vital skill. This act ensures that all Idaho public school students develop proficiency in cursive handwriting. Specifically, 33-1638 CURSIVE HANDWRITING PROFICENCY REQUIREMENT IN IDAHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS requires:

  1. Idaho public schools shall require proficiency in cursive handwriting for students by the end of grade 5. “Cursive handwriting proficiency” means that students can write legibly in cursive.
  2. The state board of education shall require cursive handwriting instruction for students by grade 3.
  3. The state department of education shall:
    1. Set benchmarks for cursive handwriting proficiency;
    2. Provide guidelines and examples for assessing student progress; 
    3. Share resources to assist teachers in providing effective cursive handwriting instruction.
  4. All Idaho public schools shall be in compliance with the provisions of this section by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
  5. Students who do not achieve cursive handwriting proficiency by the end of grade 5 shall receive additional instruction until such proficiency is demonstrated.

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Summer Cook
Coordinator
(208) 332-6949
scook@sde.idaho.gov

Karyn Kilpatrick-Snell
Coordinator
(208) 332-6967
kkilpatrick-snell@sde.idaho.gov

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