Screener of Handwriting Proficiency: Student Performance and Expectations from Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade

Although handwriting skills are important for child development, there are limited screening tools available to measure print and cursive skills for performance or progress monitoring. The Screener of Handwriting Proficiency (SHP) is a quick non-standardized assessment designed to screen handwriting skills. A retrospective normative research design was used to begin establishing benchmarks using data of students who have completed the assessment compared to peers. The scores from kindergarten through fifth students collected up to three periods during the school year were compared to the assessment developer's expectations. All but one print criterion score increased in median score over the year for kindergarten through second grade with the most growth in kindergarten. Students progressed in all areas of cursive writing within the year except for fifth grade word skills with the most growth during third grade. The progression of handwriting expectations across grades and comparison to assessment developer's expectations are discussed to show gaps and alignments in addition to suggested updates for the assessment.