Twenty-four Baltimore County elementary schools will participate in a new pilot cursive writing program in the fall, Baltimore County Public Schools officials announced. The pilot will begin Nov. 3 and run through the end of the 2025-2026 school year and will include students in Grades 2-4.
Schools that have signed up to pilot the cursive writing program include Chadwick, Chatsworth, Halethorpe, Hebbville, Hernwood, Hillcrest, New Town, Randallstown, Scotts Branch, Watershed Public Charter, and Woodholme elementaries schools. Educators will learn about the pilot and how to teach the techniques, such as proper pencil grip, fluid motion, and spacing, in October.
Cursive writing is not just about penmanship but serves as a tool to build confidence in writing and reading, said Jennifer Craft, executive director for Literacy and Humanities in the BCPS Division of Curriculum and Instruction. “We are eager to see how this practice will strengthen focus, memory, writing fluency, and communication skills, while reinforcing the literacy foundation that supports long-term academic success,” she said in a statement.
Officials say the BCPS pilot was developed with an eye toward including increased writing results in areas like notetaking and essay-writing, reinforced spelling and vocabulary proficiency, deeper reading and listening comprehension, and a boost to overall writing fluency and academic confidence.
In 2010, many states dropped formal cursive instruction after it was not included in the Common Core State Standards. Craft noted that cursive writing has never been out of the BCPS curriculum, only that it hasn’t been emphasized.
Next spring, BCPS will measure the impact of the pilot on student achievement and teacher implementation. The data will inform decisions about whether the pilot will continue or expand.