• Receive a Discount when you Renew your Subscription
• New!  Online Ordering and Quotes for Schools, Companies, and Organizations
• Coming this Fall: Extra Online Guidance for Beginners, and an Improved Interface for Younger Users
• Feature Article: How Fast Should my Students be Typing?
• Not Yet a Subscriber?  Try Custom Typing Training for free.

Receive a Discount when you Renew your Subscription

If your school is a current subscriber to Custom Typing Training, you may be eligible for a discount when you renew your subscription for the 2005-2006 school year.  As a customer, when you extend your subscription, we will only charge the price difference between the old and new/extended subscription.  For instance, if you school has a 9 month subscription, and then renews for another nine months (for a total of 18 months), we only charge the price difference between the 18 and 9 month subscriptions.  This results in a significant savings over a purchase of a brand new 9 month subscription.

A subscription can be extended even if it has recently expired.  Also, if your school does not use the web site over the Summer, we can take this into account and not charge for the unused months.

Our current pricing can be found on our pricing and ordering web page.

New!  Online Ordering and Quotes for Schools, Companies, and Organizations

We just released a major upgrade to our ordering system which will make the process of purchasing or upgrading a subscription even faster.  If your organization is able to pay by credit card, you can now set up or upgrade your account online, with instant results.  Our online system will set up or update your account, and send you a receipt for your records.

If your organization pays by check / purchase order, you can use this system to get a price quote on a new or upgraded subscription.

To use the new system, just go to our home page, move the mouse to either "Schools" or "Companies" on the left side of the screen, then choose the Online Ordering and Quotes link.

Coming this Fall: Extra Online Guidance for Beginners, and an Improved Interface for Younger Users

This summer we are working on some major enhancements to the web site.  We are adding a new optional mode to the web site which will provide extra guidance for beginners.  Users will be automatically directed to the exercises and training programs which will provide them with the most benefit.  At the same time, we will be improving the user interface for our younger (elementary school) users - with simplified screens designed especially for this age group.

These new features are based on feedback we've received from our customers.  We encourage you to contact us at any time with any suggestions you have for improving the web site.

As with all of our new features, existing subscribers will receive these upgrades at no charge.

How Fast Should my Students be Typing?

This is a common question that teachers of keyboarding have.  There is, in fact, no set standard for how fast children and teens should be expected to type at a particular grade level.  Some research, however, does provide insight into what goals schools around the country are setting.  Here's what our research has found:

A 2002-2003 study by Illinois school district U-46 notes that some researchers have suggested that 10-20 words per minute (WPM) is sufficient in the later elementary school years (3rd through 6th grade).  However, the report also notes that some teachers named in research set their goals somewhat lower, at 3 WPM for 3rd graders and 7 WPM for 4th and 5th graders.  Still others based their keyboarding goals on a student's handwriting speed: with a goal of being able to keyboard at 2-3 times the handwriting rate.

Buhler, Kansas USD 313 also conducted research into this area.  In their task force report, no requirements for keyboarding speed are presented until the 8th grade.  At this point, students are expected to type at the rate of 30 WPM with high accuracy.

The Utah State Office of Education has a detailed web site in which keyboarding speed requirements are laid out very explicitly: 15 WPM in 3rd grade, 20 WPM in 4th grade, 25 WPM in 5th grade, and 27 WPM in 6th grade.  All of this is with high accuracy.  For 7-12 graders, this web site also presents a keyboarding course in which students are expected to type at 45 WPM with high accuracy by the end of the semester.

When using Custom Typing Training, one of our recommendations is to test your students' speed early in the course.  This provides a baseline for setting a speed goal and measuring improvement.  The web site has many exercises designed specifically for testing speed, or you can create your own.  For each student account, a speed goal may be specified, which is used by the training modules to provide feedback to the student, helping him/her to see areas of strength and weakness.  Try to set a goal that is stretches the student's ability, but that is also achievable.

You can learn more about our service, and also sign up for a free trial for your school, by going to www.customtyping.com and clicking on the schools link.
 

To see past newsletters, go to www.customsolutions.us/news.  For further information about our products and services, visit us online at www.customsolutions.us.