Ashland University Professor Serves on State Writing Team

Dr. Crystal Kaiser, associate professor and intervention specialist in Ashland University’s Department of Early Childhood Education, is part of a new state writing team that is revising and expanding the Ohio Birth to K Standards Framework.

Kaiser, who works at the University’s Columbus Center, said she just accepted the formal invitation to serve on the Spring Writing Team from the Early Childhood Advisory Council, which includes the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, as well as other state agency partners with support from the Ohio Business Roundtable.

“This is one of the first steps in the four-year state effort that will focus on improving the school readiness of children with high needs,” Kaiser said. “Ohio is one of nine states to have recently been awarded an Early Learning Challenge Grant for Birth to Five over the next four years, under the federal Race to the Top Program, and Ohio’s award of $70 million was the highest award in the nation.”

Kaiser said the project will revise and add to current Ohio early learning and development standards as well as creating Birth to K entry standards that will address all five domains of school readiness (Approaches to Learning, Cognition, Language and Literacy, Physical Health and Motor Development and Social and Emotional Development).

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.