The mission of K-5 Keyboarding is for all Utah students to possess keyboarding proficiency by 5th grade and improve their speed throughout their secondary education. Proper keyboarding instruction begins before 3rd grade and is reviewed in each succeeding grade to allow students to achieve a high degree of proficiency by 5th grade. Students are assessed for keyboarding competence in elementary and secondary keyboarding programs.
To graduate, students must complete a Digital Literacy class in middle/junior high and a Digital Studies class in high school. In order to successfully pass these classes, a student must know how to keyboard proficiently and accurately.
Today, efficient keyboard and computer operation is a necessary and a critical skill for the majority of occupations. Keyboarding is an expected tool for communication throughout one's life.
With the widespread use of computers in schools and homes, keyboarding instruction has moved to the elementary grades. Younger children are becoming fluent computer users. It is important for them to learn proper keyboarding techniques early, so they do not develop bad habits that are very hard to break.
Ninety-six percent of all jobs require effective keyboarding skills. Electronic correspondence, as a form of written communication, has become the norm, and because of that, touch typing has become a professional requirement. As the US Department of Labor notes, in the 21st century “the use of computers and the Internet in workplaces will become more pervasive and the functions performed using computers will dramatically increase.” Some of the top keyboard-intensive professions include physician, writer/journalist, computer programmer, web developer, police officer, manger/CEO, lawyer, and scientist.
Attendees will complete a self-paced Canvas course aligned to the new Elementary Keyboarding Strands and Standards. It is designed to educate teachers on how to teach keyboarding in Grades K-5. Topics that will be covered are:
Workshop Credit
Attendees must complete all requirements in the Canvas course to receive 1.0 USBE credit or up to 16 relicensure points.
Workshop Cost
The cost to attend the Elementary Keyboarding Workshop is $35/person + registration fees. These fees pay for the facilitator of the workshop. For the workshop to take place, there must be at least 15 registered attendees. Space is limited.
Fall Workshop
Self-paced Canvas Course September 16-30, 2023
Eventbrite Online Registration (Closes Friday, September 8 at 5 p.m.)
Cost: $35 + Processing Fee
All registered attendees must complete all the required assignments by due date in order to receive credit for the workshop.
Spring Workshop
Self-paced Canvas Course June 10-24, 2024
Eventbrite Online Registration (Closes Friday, May 31 at 5 p.m.)
Cost: $35 + Processing Fee
All registered attendees must complete all the required assignments by due date in order to receive credit for the workshop.
Elementary Keyboarding Standards
Elementary Keyboarding is designed to help students demonstrate efficient digital input by the end of grade 5. This begins with competency in keyboarding, appropriate and responsible use of technology, and basic computer science principles.
Keyboarding by touch, rather than speed, is introduced in the Elementary Keyboarding Standards. Keyboarding techniques are foundational to accuracy and speed. Aligning to Board Rule R277-700-4(6), an LEA shall assess students for proficiency in keyboarding by grade 5 and report school level results to the superintendent. In order to assure proficiency by grade 5, it is highly recommended that keyboarding fundamentals be introduced in grades K-2, and then building upon those fundamental principles in each succeeding grades. Students will be assessed during the spring of their 5th grade year. The assessment will be a timed typing test of high frequency words to demonstrate proficiency and results will be submitted to the state keyboarding specialist.
By the end of grade 2, students will be:
By the end of grade 5, students will:
Elementary Keyboarding Endorsement (Abobe Sign)
To be eligible for an endorsement, you must hold a current license. If you do not have a license, stop and complete the Associate Educator License (AEL) application process before moving forward with endorsement application.
The Elementary Keyboarding Endorsement attaches to Elementary and Secondary area of concentration and authorizes the instructor to teach Elementary Keyboarding (32-02-00-00-210).
In grade 5, students will be assessed for proficiency in keyboarding. Students should be graded on technique mastery:
Advanced (4)
The student knows the keys, keys by touch, and demonstrates perfect technique.
Meets Expectations (3)
The student knows the keys and keys by touch.
Partial Mastery (2)
The student looks at the keys most of the time.
Little or No Mastery (1)
The student is dependent on looking at the keys.
Aligning to Board Rule R277-700-4(6), a Local Education Agency (LEA) shall assess students for proficiency in keyboarding by grade 5 and report school-level results to the superintendent. Each LEA will complete the Keyboarding Proficiency Report by June 1 each year. The LEA will provide the following information:
This form will open May 1 of each school. The form will close on June 1 of each school year.
Fiscal Year 2024 Elementary Keyboarding Proficiency Report (Google Form)
It is the purpose of Utah State Instructional Materials Commission to determine, which instructional materials may be adopted for use in Utah schools. This helps to ensure that materials used are the best available and to eliminate inferior or undesirable material.
Instructional materials mean textbooks or materials used as, or in place of, textbooks and which may be used within the state curriculum framework for courses of study by students in public schools to include:
These materials shall be designed for student use, may be accompanied by or contain teaching guides and study helps, and shall appear on Utah's online Recommended Instructional Materials System (RIMS) searchable database of recommended instructional materials. All Elementary Keyboarding instructional materials can be searched by following the instructions outlined below:
A list of state-approved materials for the course you selected will appear by publisher. Specific information may be viewed by clicking on a specific title.
In grades 3-5, students will work on improving speed and accuracy (Strand 4). Below are a variety of timed writing documents educators may use to track the progress of their students. Students should type from a document that is age appropriate, at the student’s reading level (Lexile score), and typing with 85%, 90%, or 95% High-Frequency Words (HFW).
You may use any of the timed writing assessments found below or you may use a timed writing of your choice if it meets the requirements mentioned above. The timed writings should only be used for the pretest and post test. The timed writing should not be a document a student uses throughout the school year to learn keyboarding scoring.
Students may use a typing program (example: MicroType, MicroPace Pro, Keyboarding Online, EduTyping, UltraKey6, etc.) or you can manually figure scores for each timed writing with the ones provided.
Count all typed entries and divide by five to get the Gross Words Per Minute (WPM).
Example
If you typed 200 words in 1 minute, your gross wpm typing speed would be 40 GWPM.
Gross WPM = (All Words Typed/5)/(Time (min))
40 Gross WPM = (200/5)/1
Once you find Gross WPM (GWPM) you can find Net WPM (NWPM).
Example
If the students typed 40 GWPM and had 3 errors, the students final score would be 37 NWPM.
Net WPM = Gross WPM - (# of Errors)/(Time (min))
37 Net WPM = 40 GWPM - 3/1
85% High Frequency Words
90% High Frequency Words
Advanced (4)
The student knows the keys and keys by touch and demonstrates perfect technique.
Meets Expectations (3)
The student knows the keys and keys by touch.
Partial Mastery (2)
The student looks at the keys most of the time.
Little or No Mastery (1)
The student is dependent on looking at the keys.
Ashley Higgs, Specialist
Keyboarding and Digital Literacy
Phone: (801) 538-7594 | E-mail