The quick brown fox still jumps over the lazy dog — only now it’s on a Chromebook.
Third graders across Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD[a] are practicing keyboarding through a daily, 10-minute digital lesson that district leaders say is improving accuracy and preparing students for online state testing.
The district’s formal keyboarding program is in its third year. HEB ISD officials told trustees in October that the lessons are helping students adapt to modern classroom demands, but administrators are studying whether students spend enough time mastering the skill.
Holly Norgaard[b], executive director of curriculum and instruction, presented data to trustees from Typing Club, the web-based platform used for the lessons. The district introduced the program in 2023 after issuing every student a personal device as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness — or STAAR — moved entirely online with new written-response questions for third through eighth graders.
Those changes have made typing instruction an essential part of learning, Norgaard said. By third and fourth grade, students are ready for more formal typing instruction such as learning proper finger placement, home keys and short practice drills, she said.
“How many of you remember from your typing class A, S, D, F, J?” Norgaard said.
The district embeds Typing Club lessons for 10 minutes a day as part of students’ English language arts class, the portion of the school day focused on reading and writing. The lessons use short videos, skill drills and games to prioritize accuracy over speed.
Students can also log in at home through ClassLink[c], an online student portal that gives access to district programs.
Typing Club usage is increasing each year but remains below the intended 25 hours annually, Norgaard said. On average, third graders spent about 4 hours and 50 minutes in Typing Club during the first year and 7 hours and 10 minutes last school year.
Even so, students met district benchmarks: An average of 13 words per minute and above 90% accuracy.
“Two years’ worth of data tells us we’re moving in the right direction,” Norgaard said. “We’re within our targets, but we need to find that balance between the number of minutes they spend in the program and the outcome that we’re seeing from that result.”
The district follows national research guidelines for keyboard instruction, according to the report.
Targets call for 10 to 15 words per minute in third grade, 20 to 25 in fourth and 30 or more by fifth — all at 90% accuracy.
That approach also aligns with state learning standards for technology use.
By third grade, state standards require students to “demonstrate proper touch keyboarding techniques with accuracy and ergonomic strategies such as correct hand and body positions.”
Those expectations build gradually across grade levels.
Trustee Chris Brown[d] asked whether the district plans to expand Typing Club beyond third grade. Norgaard said expanding to upper grades could require additional software licenses, but the district may explore other ways to measure fluency without adding costs.
“At this point, we’re not seeing that need,” she said.
Teachers in other grades can already gauge how comfortable students are with keyboards through their everyday classwork and online testing, Norgaard emphasized.
Trustees also suggested stronger communication with families. Norgaard acknowledged campus-level outreach about home access had been inconsistent.
For now, administrators said progress comes one keystroke at a time[e].
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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