WRITTEN-LANGUAGE PRODUCTION STANDARDS FOR Handwriting & Keyboarding (Grades PreK–8) These Written-Language Production Standards for Handwriting & Keyboarding (Grades PreK–8) (the “Written-Language Production Standards”) have been created by the HW21 Community to further the education of our children. • The Written-Language Production Standards may be copied, distributed and displayed, in whole or in part, with or without attribution, for non-commercial purposes, by the Federal or state governments or their respective departments, agencies and subdivisions, by any public or private schools or school districts, or by teachers and parents in working directly with students. • The Written-Language Production Standards may be copied, distributed and displayed, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes, provided that the user accurately represents the research and the standards and that such use is accompanied by the following attribution: “Written-Language Production Standards for Handwriting & Keyboarding (Grades PreK-8) © 2014, used with permission. For more information on the Standards, please see www.hw21summit.com” WRITTEN-LANGUAGE PRODUCTION STANDARDS FOR HANDWRITING & KEYBOARDING (Grades PreK–8) Introduction: From Crayons to Keyboards Children need both handwriting and keyboarding instruction to succeed in their letter-like forms as early as age two, and these scribbles contain the features of schools and later in the world of college and work. Yet explicit, evidence-based writing such as directionality and linearity as a child develops (Dinehart, 2014; guidelines for teaching these skills are absent from the Common Core State Feder & Majnemer, 2007; Puranik & Lonigan, 2011)—their “writing” begins to Standards (CCSS). Although the CCSS provide a solid framework for students look qualitatively different from their drawings. Researchers find that even very to achieve 21st century success, the standards cannot realistically include every young children can recognize the loops and connectors of cursive writing before skill necessary for achieving this goal. Developed with a “focus on results rather they can write script themselves (Bonneton-Botté, De La Hay, Marec-Breton, & than means,” the standards thus empower educators to integrate any additional Bara, 2012). relevant topics that will help achieve the objectives set out in the CCSS (National Early fine motor skills indicate readiness. Fine motor skills are the strongest Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School predictor of special education referral and the second strongest predictor of Officers, 2010). In addition, the CCSS do not include preschool benchmarks that kindergarten retention (Cameron et al., 2012; Roth, McCaul, & Barnes, 1993). might provide a framework to assess kindergarten readiness and preliteracy in Children in preschools now spend about 37% of their day engaged in fine motor light of these standards. skill activities, and only about 10% of that time is spent with paper and pencil— The national discussion around handwriting instruction in particular has been but kindergartners spend nearly half their day engaged in fine motor activities elevated since the release of the CCSS in 2010. In response to this concern, and nearly half that time on paper and pencil tasks (Marr, Cermak, Cohn, & researchers and educators gathered in Washington, D.C., on January 23, Henderson, 2003). Introducing more writing tasks can help preschoolers make 2012, for Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit. This Summit the leap to kindergarten successfully. Children with stronger fine motor skills do further crystallized the need for educators and policy makers to give handwriting better not only in literacy tasks such as letter writing but also in kindergarten math and keyboarding serious attention. Most participants concurred that there is a (Luo, Jose, Huntsinger, & Pigott, 2007; Son & Meisels, 2006). Early fine motor clear need for a set of benchmarked, developmentally appropriate handwriting skills also support later academic success. These skills are associated with ongoing standards that will provide all students with equal access to this foundational skill. reading and mathematics achievement as late as fifth grade (Dinehart & Manfra, (More information about the Summit and the research presented there is available 2013; Grissmer, Grimm, Aiyer, Murrah, & Steele, 2010; Murrah, 2010). online at www.hw21summit.com.) Handwriting leads directly to reading acquisition. Even at the preschool level, The resulting set of national standards for written-language production offer teachers can encourage literacy skills by leading students through letter formation developmentally appropriate, research-based indicators to integrate handwriting activities, including writing their own name and practicing writing other simple and keyboarding—two essential skills for 21st century success—into the K–8 words and letters (Puranik, Lonigan, & Kim, 2011). In early learning settings, curriculum. Importantly, they also provide prekindergarten written-language rigorous attention to the detail of individual letters is less important than the letter production benchmarks. forming process itself: exciting new research has shown that the variation in children’s letter formation is actually a crucial part of their learning to identify Handwriting and form letters (James & Englehardt, 2012)—which is the basis of both reading Handwriting is a foundational skill crucial for literacy success. It teaches and writing. According to the National Reading Panel, letter knowledge and letter formation and supports reading and language acquisition. Additionally, phonemic awareness are the two best predictors of reading proficiency. Writing through perceptual and motor skills practice, handwriting advances neurological letters by hand has been proven to help children recognize and remember letters development and augments writing fluency. Foundational literacy skills begin more easily than if they typed them (James, 2012; Longcamp, Zerbato-Poudou, & well before a child enters kindergarten. Preschool-age children start scribbling Velay, 2005; Berninger, Abbott, Abbott, Graham, & Richards, 2002: Berninger et al., 2006; NICHD, 2000). 2 WRITTEN-LANGUAGE PRODUCTION STANDARDS FOR HANDWRITING & KEYBOARDING (Grades PreK–8) Writing by hand engages the brain in learning. Through modern brain- of speed, automaticity, and output for note-taking, in-class assignments, and imaging techniques, researchers have found that neural activity in children high-stakes tests. who practiced printing (also known as manuscript writing) by hand was far Handwriting fluency continues to develop past the early grades. Studies show more advanced than in children who just looked at the letters. Handwriting that handwriting instruction improves legibility and fluency through grade 9; seems, based on empirical evidence from neuroscience, to play a large role in in addition, the overall quality of writing and the length of writing passages the visual recognition and learning of letters (James & Atwood, 2009; James increases through grade 9 with handwriting instruction (Graham & Santangelo, & Englehardt, 2012; James & Gauthier, 2006; James, Wong, & Jobard, 2010; 2012). Longcamp et al., 2008). Students write most assignments and tests by hand. A 2008 study showed that Keyboarding older students produce at least half of their writing for school by hand. Younger Keyboarding is handwriting’s complement for 21st century environments, and it is students handwrite nearly 90 percent of their schoolwork. Even in the Common a practice that will become increasingly important for students’ writing success. Core State Standards (Appendix C) document, for example, almost half of the Children access all types of technology at home—even before they attend sample K–8 student essays are hand written (Denton, Cope, & Moser, 2006; school—and schools can provide the developmentally appropriate instruction Cutler & Graham, 2008). to bolster their fluency and efficiency in using keyboard-input devices to make Standardized essay scores are influenced by handwriting. More troubling, them truly “bilingual by hand” (Berninger, 2012). Passive screen-watching is solid research finds that handwritten tests are graded differently based on the inappropriate for any child’s development, but interacting with a variety of legibility of the handwriting (Graham & Harris, 2002; Conti, 2012; Vander Hart, technology tools—keyboards, touch screens, and styluses—can help motivate Fitzpatrick, & Cortesa, 2010). Poor handwriting can drop a paper from the 50th children to learn (Couse & Chen, 2010; Haugland, 1999). Students should learn percentile to the 10th or 22nd percentile (Graham, Harris, & Herbert, 2011). Essay technology “handling” skills in an appropriate educational setting with active, graders of handwritten standardized tests read more than 100 essays an hour, engaged adults (NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center, 2012; International Society making legibility even more important (ACT, 2011). for Technology in Education, 2007; Matthews & Seow, 2007; New Jersey Department of Education, 2013). Handwriting instruction supports automaticity, speed, and output. When students develop the fine motor skills that accompany learning to write by Keyboarding instruction bolsters fluency and automaticity. Touch typing is a hand, their speed and output increase (Graham & Harris, 2005; Graham skill that will help all students in their education, as well as