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Novi highlights first-year ‘Wildcat Launch’ kindergarten program; teachers report smaller age ranges and stronger early literacy and math exposure
Summary
Novi teachers and district leaders presented a first-year update on Wildcat Launch, a targeted kindergarten-year program that narrows age ranges, emphasizes social-emotional learning and exposes children to kindergarten standards using customized resources.
The Novi Community School District on March 20 presented a progress report on Wildcat Launch, the district’s new kindergarten-entry program created to give some children an additional year of development and early exposure to kindergarten standards.
District officials told the Board of Education that the pilot has six Wildcat Launch sections this year, with two sections at Village Oaks and one section at each of the district’s other elementary schools. "Students in Wildcat Launch Kindergarten are provided a unique kindergarten experience that focuses on their specific social emotional needs as young learners," said Ally Goecki, a Parkview teacher who spoke at the meeting.
Why it matters: Board members said they want the district to monitor outcomes so the program can be adjusted and so its value can be measured against regular kindergarten outcomes. Administrators described the program as a way to shrink age ranges within kindergarten classrooms and to reduce the number of youngest learners in a typical kindergarten cohort.
Program details and teacher observations Wildcat Launch uses the same kindergarten standards as regular kindergarten classrooms but at an exposure level rather than a mastery level, teachers said. Educators named specific curricula in use: the RGR phonics/reading program and i-Ready for math. "We do the same skills... it's all the same standards. It's just at that exposure level versus having to master it," said a Wildcat Launch teacher presenting the program to the board.
Teachers described classroom practice that emphasizes social-emotional learning, hands-on math with numbers 0–10 and foundational literacy activities (letter recognition, phonemic awareness) along with dramatic play and fine-motor skill development. Staff said students engage in themed dramatic-play units tied to literacy topics, seasons and community roles.
Class size and placement Teachers told the board that current Wildcat Launch sections have a maximum of 18 students. District staff said the program’s age cutoffs (about a three-month band) have "worked really well" so far; teachers said placement will sometimes be adjusted if a student’s needs indicate a different setting would be appropriate.
Board response and next steps Board members praised the program and asked for follow-up data. "It would be really interesting to see how our Wildcat Launch students do next year when they're in kindergarten," said Board Member Mishner. District leaders said they plan to monitor students' progress and return to the board with updates as the cohort enters kindergarten and beyond.
The board honored the Wildcat Launch teachers with a small recognition and presented a copy of the children's book What Do You Do With an Idea as a token of appreciation. District leaders said they will continue to support the program and consider tweaks as they collect outcome data.
