When the class of 2006 took its handwritten essay exam as part of the SAT, only 15% of the almost 1.5 million students wrote in cursive. The rest answered in block letters. Even though educators think that penmanship instruction is a relic, “academics who speacialize in writing acquisition argue that it is important cognitively, pointing to research that shows children without proficient handwriting skills produce simpler, shorter, compositions, from the earliest grades.” In elementary schools, with emphasis on SOL scores, cursive writing is thought of something that is only required when signing your name as an adult. Homework is typed.