{"id":321417,"date":"2026-06-27T01:21:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T01:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/321417\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T01:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T01:21:26","slug":"cursive-requirement-returning-to-florida-classrooms-for-first-time-since-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/321417\/","title":{"rendered":"Cursive requirement returning to Florida classrooms for first time since 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Cursive will be returning to schools throughout Florida, as Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation<\/a> requiring third through fifth-grade students to be proficient in the writing form. <\/p>\n

Parent and teacher Becky Carlan has been teaching for more than 20 years and is currently homeschooling her children. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe taught cursive first. Our children did not learn to print before they wrote in cursive,\u201d Carlan said. <\/p>\n

She said she\u2019s noticed significant benefits in teaching her children to write in cursive at a young age. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey start by not taking the pencil off the paper, and suddenly, they need to be thinking ahead about what they\u2019re going to write,\u201d Carlan said. \u201cSo that translates into reading. As they\u2019re reading, they\u2019re used to looking ahead and thinking ahead on the paper, so they read more fluently.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cursive was a requirement in Florida schools until 2010. Now that it\u2019s making a return, fifth-grade students will also have to pass a test proving they can read and write in cursive. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is, do you need to do cursive to practice handwriting instruction?\u201d Allison Moltisanti, a neuropsychologist with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, said. <\/p>\n

Moltisanti said practicing handwriting in general – whether that\u2019s print or cursive – should be the goal for children, especially with the prevalence of technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf kids are very confident in how to form letters and they have a lot of practice in how to form letters, when they\u2019re writing, they don\u2019t have to spend as much time thinking about \u2018How do I form this letter or what does this letter look like?\u2019\u201d Moltisanti said. \u201cSo, it does help with literacy and writing fluency to have a lot of practice in handwriting in general, but does that have to be cursive? That\u2019s not necessarily proven.\u201d<\/p>\n

While teaching cursive to children can require more time and patience, Carlan says it\u2019s been worth it for her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the process of teaching block letters, maybe at first, can be a little bit easier, but I think the long-term rewards and just the ease of cursive writing pays huge benefits in terms of fine motor skills development and other artistic skills,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

The bill takes effect July 1, meaning cursive will be implemented for students in the upcoming school year. <\/p>\n

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