Return of cursive writing part of mandatory curriculum in Ontario schools

A student practices writing in cursive at St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Hacienda Heights, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. Cursive is making a comeback. Relegated in 2006 to an optional piece of learning in Ontario elementary schools, it is set to return as a mandatory part of the curriculum starting in September. Article content Relegated in 2006 to an optional piece of learning in Ontario elementary schools, cursive writing is set to return as a mandatory part of the curriculum starting in September. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said it is about more than just teaching students how to sign their own name. “The research has been very clear that cursive writing is a critical life skill in helping young people to express more substantively, to think more critically, and ultimately, to express more authentically,” he said in an interview. “That’s what we’re trying to do, to create a very talented generation of young people who have mastered the fundamental skills, like reading, writing, and math, that are the foundations of any successful productive life in the country.” Article content Article content Recommended from Editorial Randall Denley: If elected school boards can’t do the job, they should get out of the way Ontario’s new language curriculum, set to be in place for the new school year, introduces a host of changes, including a renewed focus on phonics. Many of the curriculum additions can be traced back to a report last year from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which said the province’s public education system was failing students with reading disabilities and others by not using evidence-based approaches. “If we want to boost reading instruction, we have to embrace some of those time-tested strategies that have worked for generations,” Lecce said. Article content “A return to phonics and, for example, cursive writing is another example where the government is leaning into the evidence and following the voice of many parents who wanted us to really embrace those practices that for generations have worked.” The curriculum reintroduces cursive writing as an expectation starting in Grade 3. That’s welcome news for language education experts. […]

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