Official Site of The State of New Jersey

On January 19, 2026, Governor Phil Murphy signed P.L. 2025, c.284, which requires public schools to provide instruction in cursive handwriting for students in grades three through five. To support understanding and implementation of this law, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) issued a February 11, 2026 Broadcast, which provided technical implementation details specifically designed for districts’ curriculum and instruction staff, and outlined expectations for districts as they incorporate cursive handwriting instruction into their curriculum for grades three through five beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.

Please send any inquiries to:  Office of Standards (standards@doe.nj.gov)