Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing
The implementation of HB375 is expected to impact educational standards in Missouri, particularly in elementary education. By establishing cursive writing as a requirement, the bill would revise the curriculum and instructional practices in schools. If enacted, schools would need to allocate resources and training for teachers to effectively teach cursive writing and evaluate students' proficiency through standardized assessments. This may also lead to changes in how educational outcomes are measured, particularly in literacy skills.
House Bill 375 mandates that each school district and charter school in Missouri provide instruction in cursive writing. According to the bill, students are required to create readable documents through legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade. Additionally, each student must demonstrate proficiency in both reading and writing cursive through a teacher-constructed test. The bill reflects a growing interest in traditional handwriting skills and aims to ensure that students have the ability to write in cursive by a specific educational milestone.
While proponents argue that teaching cursive writing is essential for developing fine motor skills and maintaining historical literacy practices, there are concerns that this requirement may detract from other important subjects. Critics may argue that the focus on cursive writing could take time away from more critical educational areas such as digital literacy, which is increasingly important in the modern world. The debate is likely to center around the balance of traditional education methods versus contemporary educational needs.