Arizona amends education standards, adds cursive requirement

PHOENIX -- Arizona will require public schools to teach cursive handwriting as one of a number of new education standards approved by the state Board of Education.

The move amends the state's current standards, which are based on federal guidelines known as the Common Core. Common Core has become a politicized topic and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas campaigned on a promise to replace it.



"We now have new standards that have been worked on by Arizona teachers, parents and been vetted by anti-Common Core experts," said Douglas.

In addition to requiring students to have mastered cursive by the fifth grade, the revisions also require lessons about time and money in early grades. They also add a "foundational writing skills strand" for kindergarten through third grade that will have the students learn how to spell the most frequently used words.

The changes also set standards for high-school-level math courses that are not required for graduation.