In 2018 ACARA defined new Achievement Standards within the Literacy Progression of the Australian Curriculum. The new Standards relate to the Writing Element and specifically the Handwriting and Keyboarding Sub Element – (Previously Handwriting). The new Achievement Standards are HwK1, HwK2, HwK3, HwK4, HwK5, HwK6, HwK7, HwK8.
The progression addresses handwriting and keyboarding skills with increasing speed, accuracy and fluency leading to confidence, proficiency, flexibility and automaticity.
Based on the Australian Curriculum
The new Handwriting and Keyboarding standards embody the principles of the Australian Curriculum. These progressions indicate the minimum standards that Australian Schools should incorporate in their teaching. For Victoria and NSW these progressions indicate the base skill level to be embodied in the relevant State-based curricula and builds on the base of the Australian Curriculum.
We teach handwriting meticulously
For generations handwriting skills have been taught starting in the early grades with a printed alphabet and progressing to speed loops and calligraphy. The skill of handwriting is taught not caught.
But until now we have left keyboarding to chance
It is not possible for students to attain the Keyboarding proficiency required by the new standards without a formal process of teaching. It is not enough to leave it to the student to hunt and peck and adopt the bad keyboarding habits learned on an iPad as a child.
More information
ACARA Handwriting and Keyboard description
Literacy Progression – Handwriting and Keyboarding description
HwK1 (Pre School)
- produces simple handwriting movements
- experiments with pencils, writing implements or devices
- writes letters which resemble standard letter formations
HwK2 (Foundation)
- uses pencils or writing implements appropriately
- writes or types some letters or words correctly
HwK3 (Foundation)
- correctly forms most lower-case letters
- correctly forms some upper-case letters
- writes or types a few words
- uses numeral keys
HwK4 (Year 1)
- correctly forms all letters
- uses spaces between handwritten words
- positions letters and words on a line
- demonstrates keyboarding skills by typing short letter clusters and short common words as single units (er, ing, the, my)
- types using spaces between words and sentence punctuation
HwK5 (Years 1 and 2)
- fluently writes clearly formed, unjoined letters
- writes all letters with consistent size and spacing between words
- begins to use joined letters
- maintains legible handwriting throughout a text
- uses some features of text editing applications
- recognises and uses keys to show more complex punctuation or symbols
HwK6 (Year 3)
- writes using joined letters of consistent size
- slopes writing if appropriate to script
- begins to develop quick finger action when keying
- fluently handwrites and types to produce a range of texts
HwK7 (Year 4)
- writes with a legible, fluent, personal handwriting style
- uses a range of digital applications to compose and edit
- self-corrects using appropriate keyboard and screen functions
HwK8 (Years 5 and 6)
- uses handwriting efficiently in formal and informal situations
- demonstrates automaticity when using keyboarding and screen functions
