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Senate committee agrees to print bill requiring cursive proficiency benchmarks in Idaho schools
Summary
Sen. Tammy Nichols presented RS 32031, which would add proficiency requirements for cursive instruction already in Idaho standards: instruction beginning in third grade and demonstrated proficiency by the end of fifth grade. The committee voted to print the resolution for a future hearing.
Sen. Tammy Nichols presented RS 32031 to the Senate Education Committee, saying the measure would add a proficiency measure to existing Idaho standards that already require instruction in cursive.
"Cursive is already required," Nichols said, "but there's no consistency or accountability in ensuring proficiency." She told the committee the proposal requires cursive instruction to begin in third grade and that students demonstrate proficiency by the end of fifth grade, with the State Department of Education supplying resources, guidelines and assessments to assist educators.
Nichols argued the skill has practical, cognitive and historical benefits, saying a handwritten signature "is a personal security feature" and that cursive instruction can support fine‑motor skills, memory and literacy development. She also cited the National Archives' need for people who can read historical cursive documents as an example of continued relevance.
Senator Zito moved to send RS 32031 to print for a committee hearing; the motion was seconded and the committee approved the motion. The transcript records the motion and the committee chair's voice saying "Motion carries," but does not record a roll-call vote tally in the hearing record.
The bill as presented tasks the State Department of Education with developing benchmarks and assessments and specifies that students struggling to meet proficiency will receive additional support. The presenter said the language was developed with input from the State Department of Education to aid implementation.
The committee printed RS 32031 for a subsequent hearing; the sponsor will return to present the bill at that hearing, according to the committee record.
