What Is CLIFTER?
CLIFTER (Cursive Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading) is a free tool designed to empower educators and caregivers in supporting students’ cursive handwriting and early reading skills. Given the close connection between learning cursive letter formation and spelling words, CLIFTER materials not only include instruction and practice for individual letters but also for spelling words. This includes materials such as video models of letter and word formation as well as downloadable student worksheets.
Introducing CLIFTER
The Importance of Cursive Handwriting Instruction
Writing is not an innate skill that humans are born with. Therefore, students require systematic, explicit instruction to develop strong writing skills. Explicit handwriting instruction helps support early reading development by enriching student’s exposure to letter shapes, letter sounds, and other early literacy skills. Because cursive letters are so distinct from their print counterparts, students require separate, intentional instruction in cursive handwriting to develop this skill. While more research needs to be done into the long-term benefits of cursive handwriting instruction, some studies suggest that cursive handwriting instruction in later elementary school can lead to better outcomes in spelling accuracy, handwriting fluency, and overall composition.
Focusing on both individual letter formation and connected text, CLIFTER gives students the building blocks they will need to become proficient writers and readers.
A Supplement to Core Instruction
CLIFTER is intended to supplement core instruction in elementary classrooms. Cursive handwriting instruction was reintroduced to Iowa’s Academic Standards in 2024. As of 2025, around half of U.S. states require some instruction in this skill.
Nationally, elementary teachers often report that they have received limited to no preparation on how to effectively teach handwriting (Graham, Collins, Ciullo, 2023; Troia & Graham, 2017). In Iowa, the districts we have partnered with report the need for better supports to teach this critical skill. In addition, when teachers do provide handwriting instruction to their students, the classroom reading curriculum often teaches letters in a different sequence than the handwriting curriculum. This can result in a heavy lift for students trying to learn two competing sequences of letters at the same time.
CLIFTER offers a solution to these concerns. When using CLIFTER, educators control the sequence of letters they will teach, allowing them to align the tool to their reading curriculum. With CLIFTER’s flexible functionality and comprehensive accompanying eLearning module, educators unlock the knowledge and materials they need to provide effective cursive handwriting instruction to their students.
Start Here
New to CLIFTER? We highly recommend that new users complete the CLIFTER eLearning module before using the tool. Completing the eLearning module will help you learn not only how to navigate the site but also how to use the materials efficiently and effectively with students, covering handwriting, reading and writing development, and evidence-based instructional practices.
Once you have completed the CLIFTER eLearning module, you are ready to go!
Access even more CLIFTER training materials with our Professional Development Toolkit.
Related Blog Posts
Explore the blog posts below to learn how handwriting instruction can support your early readers’ literacy development.
Cursive Handwriting: Reduce the Learning Curve With CLIFTER
Learn effective strategies for teaching cursive and implementing CLIFTER in your classroom.
How to Make Handwriting a Part of Early Literacy Instruction
This white paper explains how handwriting assessments can be used to analyze a students’ handwriting and then offers instructional techniques to improve the handwriting of elementary-aged students.
Looping Back to Cursive Handwriting
While more research is needed on cursive handwriting instruction, here is what we know about when to teach cursive and what components can make cursive instruction particularly effective.
The ABCs of Alphabet Instruction
Things students should know about letters and why it is important that they know them for reading development.
Handwriting: Beneficial to Reading and Often Misunderstood
Handwriting can support early reading skills. This post explains why and describes several techniques teachers can use to help their students acquire handwriting.
The Continued Importance of Handwriting Instruction
Learning handwriting and practicing it in the home and at school helps early readers learn to recognize letters.
Research Article of the Month: June 2024
Through this breakdown of Ray et al. (2021), we explore the benefits of handwriting intervention on foundational reading skills.
Looking to teach print handwriting?
Meet Literacy LIFTER (Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading)! A companion program to our cursive application, LIFTER is a free tool designed to empower educators and caregivers in supporting pre-kindergarten and elementary-aged students’ print handwriting and early reading skills.