IEP goals for cursive handwriting

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A cursive IEP goal names the letters or joins the student will write, the task they write them in, and how many must be correct. Score letters or connections out of a total, not a vague neatness rating. Example: given 10 dictated words, Sam will join every letter correctly in 9 of 10 words on 3 weekly probes.

Cursive belongs in an IEP when the class is taught cursive and the student cannot keep up, or when the student needs one cursive skill for life, such as a signature or reading a teacher's comments. It does not belong there just because cursive is on a skills checklist. If the student prints legibly at a working speed and the class does not require cursive, a goal may cost more instruction time than it returns.

The 24 goals below are grouped by sub-skill. Each has a fictional baseline, a criterion with a denominator and a link to the closest template. The numbers are illustrations, not benchmarks. For printing, sizing and copying goals, see OT IEP goals for handwriting. For the bigger picture of school OT goals, start with the occupational therapy IEP goals pillar.

When a cursive goal makes sense

The IEP must include measurable annual goals tied to the student's needs, so the need comes first.^[1] Three situations justify a cursive goal:

The class writes in cursive. The grade-level teacher assigns cursive work, and the student's cursive is unreadable or far slower than peers.
Cursive helps more than print. Some students with frequent reversals or poor letter spacing find connected letters easier, because each word becomes one movement. Try it for 4 to 6 weeks and compare samples before writing a goal.
A functional need. The student needs a consistent signature for forms, or must read cursive written by teachers, family or in source documents.

When none of these apply, put the time into printing legibility or keyboarding. The typing IEP goals page covers that route.

How to choose a cursive goal

What the sample shows	Sub-skill	Measurement method
Letters start in the wrong place, loops missing or added	Lowercase formation	Letters correct out of a fixed set
Letters formed well alone but joins break or collide	Connections	Correct joins out of total joins
Capitals printed inside cursive words, or unrecognizable	Uppercase formation	Capitals correct out of a fixed set
Student cannot read the teacher's cursive comments	Reading cursive	Words read correctly out of a list
Neat for one line, unreadable at class pace	Cursive at speed and length	Legible letters per minute; rubric scoring
Name looks different every time, or student cannot sign	Signature	Signatures rated consistent out of trials

Collect 3 samples before choosing: 10 dictated lowercase letters, 10 dictated words and a 3-sentence copy task. The lowest score usually points to the goal.

Teaching cursive: an order that supports the goals

Teaching cursive in letter groups that share a starting stroke makes every goal easier to measure, because you can probe one group at a time. A common sequence used by school OTs:

Undercurve letters: i, t, u, w, r, s, j, p. These start with the same upward swing.
Overcurve and downcurve letters: a, c, d, g, o, q, then n, m, x, y, v, z.
Loop letters: e, l, h, k, f, b.
Bridge joins: the tricky connections after b, o, v and w, where the join leaves from the top of the letter.
Capitals, starting with the ones used most: the student's initials, then the first letters of common names and places.

Teach a group, probe it, then add the next. A student who masters undercurve letters in October has data to show at the first progress report, even if the full alphabet takes all year.

Lowercase cursive formation goals

Given a model, Sam will form the 8 undercurve lowercase letters with the correct starting stroke and exit stroke in 7 of 8 letters on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 3 of 8. Template.
Given 10 dictated lowercase letters from the overcurve and downcurve groups, Sam will write each from memory with correct formation in 9 of 10 letters across 3 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Given dictation of all 26 lowercase cursive letters in random order, Mia will form 23 of 26 correctly on 2 of 3 monthly probes. Baseline: 11 of 26. Template.
When writing the loop letters e, l, h, k, f and b in dictated words, Mia will close each loop without crossing or flattening it in 17 of 20 loops on 3 weekly samples. Baseline: 8 of 20. Template.
Given lined paper with a dotted midline, Eli will write lowercase cursive letters with tall letters touching the top line and small letters reaching the midline in 85% of letters on a 3-sentence copy task, 3 of 4 weeks. Baseline: 50%. Template.
Given 10 dictated words, Eli will write b, d, p and q in cursive without reversing them in 19 of 20 letters across 3 probes. Baseline: 12 of 20. Template.

Weak: "Sam will learn cursive letters." Measurable: Goal 3 above. It names the set (26 letters), the task (dictation) and what counts as correct.

Cursive connection goals

Joins are where most cursive breaks down. Count every join in the sample and mark it correct (the exit stroke flows into the next letter's entry) or not.

Given 10 dictated three-letter words, Ava will connect every letter within each word in 9 of 10 words on 3 weekly probes. Baseline: 5 of 10 words. Template.
Given a list of 10 words containing bridge joins (bo, br, oa, ve, wh), Ava will form the join from the top of the letter in 16 of 20 bridge joins across 3 probes. Baseline: 6 of 20. Template.
During a 3-sentence copy task, Owen will keep pencil contact through each word, lifting only to dot i and j or cross t and x, in 85% of words on 3 of 4 samples. Baseline: 40%. Template.
During a 3-sentence copy task, Owen will leave a clear space between cursive words in 18 of 20 word gaps on 3 weekly samples. Baseline: 10 of 20. Template.
Given 5 dictated sentences, Leah will write each word with all joins correct in 90% of words across 3 weekly probes. Baseline: 55%. Template.

Weak: "Ava will connect cursive letters appropriately." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It isolates the hardest joins and counts each one.

Cursive capital letter goals

Given a model, Jonah will form the capital letters of his first and last name in cursive with correct formation in 4 of 4 trials across 2 weeks. Baseline: prints both. Template.
Given 10 dictated cursive capitals, Jonah will form each correctly from memory in 8 of 10 letters on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
When writing a sentence that starts with a capital, Ruby will connect the cursive capital to the next lowercase letter where the style joins it, in 4 of 5 sentences on 3 samples. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Given a 5-sentence paragraph to copy, Ruby will write every capital in cursive rather than print in 90% of capitals on 3 of 4 samples. Baseline: 30%. Template.

Weak: "Jonah will write cursive capitals neatly." Measurable: Goal 2 above. The set of 10 and the dictation format make each probe comparable.

Reading cursive goals

Reading cursive is a fair goal when the student must read teacher feedback, family letters or primary sources in social studies. It is a visual discrimination skill as much as a handwriting one.

Given a list of 20 cursive words at the student's reading level, Dev will read 18 of 20 aloud correctly on 3 weekly probes. Baseline: 7 of 20. Template.
Given 3 written teacher comments in cursive on returned work, Dev will read each comment aloud and state what it asks him to do in 3 of 3 comments across 4 assignments. Baseline: 0 of 3. Template.
Given a short cursive passage of 40 words, Maya will read it with 95% of words correct in 3 of 4 trials. Baseline: 60%. Template.

Weak: "Dev will be exposed to cursive." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Exposure is an activity; reading 18 of 20 words is a result.

Cursive speed and legibility goals

Once letters and joins are correct, the question is whether cursive works at class pace. Count only legible letters so speed cannot rise at the cost of form.

Given a 1-minute copy task, Lily will write 35 legible cursive letters per minute on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 16 letters per minute. Template.
During a 10-minute cursive journal entry, Lily will score at least 10 of 12 points on the legibility rubric on 3 of 4 weekly samples. Baseline: 6 of 12. Template.
Given a full-page cursive assignment, Noah will keep 90% of words readable to an unfamiliar adult from the first line to the last on 3 of 4 samples. Baseline: 75%, falling to 45% on the last third. Template.

Weak: "Lily will write cursive faster." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Only legible letters count.

Signature goals

A signature is the one cursive skill nearly every student will use as an adult, on forms, checks, job applications and medical paperwork. For older students with limited writing, it may be the only cursive goal worth writing.

When given a form, Marcus will sign his full name in cursive on the signature line in 4 of 5 forms across 3 weeks. Baseline: prints his first name only. Template.
Across 5 signatures written on different days, Marcus will produce a signature that an adult rates as matching his model in 4 of 5. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Given a form with separate print and signature lines, Tess will print her name on the print line and sign on the signature line in 9 of 10 forms. Baseline: 3 of 10, often both on one line. Template.

If fine motor limits make a written signature unrealistic, a signature stamp or mark is a legitimate goal too. See the signature stamp template.

Weak: "Marcus will improve his signature." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It defines consistency against his own model.

How to measure cursive goals

Formation: dictate a fixed letter set and score each letter correct or not. Rotate the order but keep the set.
Joins: on 10 dictated words, count every join and report correct out of total. Use the accuracy data sheet with one row per word.
Speed: 1-minute copy probes, counting legible letters only.
Legibility: a 12-point rubric scoring formation, joins, size and spacing from 0 to 3 each. The rubric scoring data sheet keeps the scores in one place. The guide on how to measure handwriting legibility walks through scoring step by step.

Take one probe a week from regular class work when you can. A worksheet the teacher already assigned is better data than a therapy-room sample.

Short-term objectives for cursive goals

Step up one variable at a time. For the joins goal (Goal 1 under connections):

Joins correct in 9 of 10 two-letter pairs copied from a model.
Joins correct in 9 of 10 three-letter words copied from a model.
Joins correct in 9 of 10 dictated three-letter words.

The short-term objectives guide covers the format.

Adapting by grade

Grade band	Typical cursive focus	Example change
Grades 2 to 3	Lowercase letter groups, simple joins	Probe one letter group at a time
Grades 4 to 5	Bridge joins, capitals, speed on class work	Add 1-minute rate probes and rubric scoring
Middle school	Reading cursive, cursive at length or a switch to print or typing	Choose the fastest legible output per task
High school and transition	Signature, reading handwritten notes	Signature consistency and forms

All 60 templates are on the handwriting goals page. The fine motor skills glossary entry defines the term, and the handwriting spacing goals page goes deeper on spacing. Paste your draft into the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

Should cursive be an IEP goal?

Only when it meets a real need: the class writes in cursive, cursive is easier for the student than print, or the student needs a signature or must read cursive. If print is legible and fast enough and the class does not require cursive, spend the time elsewhere.

How do you measure cursive handwriting?

Score letters correct out of a fixed dictated set, joins correct out of the total joins in 10 words, legible letters per minute on a 1-minute copy, or a 12-point legibility rubric. Use the same task each week so probes compare.

Is cursive easier for students with dysgraphia?

For some students it is, because each word becomes one movement and reversals drop. For others, the extra loops and joins add load. Try it for 4 to 6 weeks, compare dated samples, and let the data decide.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
American Occupational Therapy Association, AOTA

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.