Common Core Standards for Keyboarding

Whether you like typing or not, if you’re born in this day and age, computer literacy is kind of, like, a thing. Schools require typing literacy nowadays from children as early as the third grade.

That’s right. Technology has infiltrated our education…and that’s a good thing. Typing teaches children how to be accurate and fast at the same time. It exercises their brain and makes it more open to information absorption and processing.

These educational requirements were added to the Common Core, American national benchmarks for education and ability in numerous subjects. They help educators and parents know what their students should be able to do after a certain number of years in the school system, so everyone is roughly on the same track to graduation and proficiency beyond school.

So, what are these new additions to the Common Core that we should know about?

Starting in third grade, students are required to “use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.” This doesn’t mean they have to be authors, but they do have to be able to type sentences and paragraphs to express themselves.

Fourth graders are expected to type one page in a single sitting. This standard also amps up the accuracy and speed. There is no requirement for the length of each “single sitting,” but schools usually have a time limit. Students are expected to type at a speed of at least 11 WPM.

Fifth graders should be able to type two pages in a single sitting. Their expected speed is 22 WPM. They are to demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills at this point.

Sixth graders take it up to the next level with three pages in one sitting. This would mean they should be typing at approximately 33 WPM. This would put them close to the average typing speed of 38-40 WPM.

Moving on from the basics, seventh graders have to step up to the world of the internet. They are expected to “fluently communicate with others via the internet, especially when instant messaging requires keyboard proficiency.” They understand the importance of instant messaging in getting through with future schoolwork and jobs.

Eighth graders must “gather relevant information….and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.” This is far from just regular typing now. This core standard indicates a step up into the world of research. Their skills on the board are now skills needed for extensive information gathering and presentation, which will serve them well in later education and professionally.

To be college ready, keyboard literacy is amplified to writing over “extended and short time frames.” It’s writing in all forms. It’s peak adulthood.

Once you’ve graduated college, you’ve also graduated the keyboard!

But that’s not the end of it.

You still have…work!

Cue the gasp.

Happy typing!