Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
Minutes
Academic Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Monday May 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Location
CASLV Central Office
8985 S. Eastern Ave #375
Las Vegas, NV, 89123
Posting of Agenda: This agenda has been posted at the following locations:
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas (“CASLV”) Central Office, CASLV website at www.caslv.org, and Nevada Public Notice website at http://notice.nv.gov.
Format / Procedures / Rules: This is a notice of a public meeting held pursuant to NRS Chapter 241. Members of the public are invited to be present.
Certain items may be removed from open/public consideration if permitted or required by Nevada law. The Board may also (i) take agenda items out of order; (ii) combine two or more items for consideration; (iii) separate one item into multiple items; (iv) table an agenda item to a future meeting; and/or (v) remove an agenda item.
Reasonable efforts will be made to assist and accommodate persons with physical disabilities desiring to attend the meeting. Please contact Ms. Shepard at ashepard@coralacademylv.org at least 48 hours before the time of the meeting, if possible, so that reasonable arrangements may conveniently be made.
Please also contact Ms. Shepard if you would like a copy of the agenda and any public reference materials relating to agenda items. Those materials will also be available at the meeting location. Those materials would provide you with greater context and clarity as to the matters under discussion.
By law, no one may willfully disrupt the meeting to the extent that its orderly conduct becomes impractical.
All items are action or possible action items if denoted as such.
Committee Members Present
Arlene Hayman, Dr. Carryn Warren, Elizabeth Kazelskis
Committee Members Absent
None
Guests Present
Amber Nhan, CASLV Academic Program Coordinator , Andrea Shepard, CASLV Executive Assistant, Dr. Ercan Aydogdu, CASLV Executive Director & CEO, Dr. Mustafa Gunozu, CASLV Chief Academic Officer, Mine Eraslan, CASLV Assessment & Accountability Coordinator , Rachael Peckham, CASLV Academic Program Coordinator
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Public Comment
II. Discussion & Possible Action Items
A.
2025-2026 School Year Local Literacy Plan (For Possible Action)
Ms. Amber Nhan presented the LLP, which expands upon the framework established in the
previous year. Finalizing the plan in time for implementation at the beginning of the new
school year will prove advantageous. The document adopts a revised format, and she
provided an overview of key highlights that reflect the updates.
Ms. Nhan outlined four main goals:
Student Achievement
Educator Development – including professional development and trainings in collaboration with the Nevada Department of Education (NDE)
Family Resources
Data-Driven Instruction
These goals align with and support the requirements of CASLV's LLP.
Board members raised questions regarding returning staff and federal funding, which Dr. Ercan addressed in detail.
B.
Curriculum Orders (For Possible Action)
Dr. Gunozu and Ms. Eraslan presented the proposed curriculum purchase items,
noting that CASLV Centennial Hills has expressed interest in piloting the science
component. This recommendation emerged from the faculty at that campus, reflecting
teacher-led advocacy for curricular innovation.
The highlights included:
BrainPop – known for its engaging quizzes and educational content
Reveal Math – a comprehensive math program currently under review
Twig Science – already being piloted at Centennial Hills campus, noted for its engaging content and flexibility
Ms. Eraslan provided a detailed overview of each curriculum option.
C.
High School Course Catalogue Updates (For Possible Action)
Ms. Eraslan presented the high school course catalog updates, highlighting format and
content-related enhancements. Visual improvements, such as updated fonts and the
incorporation of color, were made to improve readability. While the existing content was
entirely preserved, the new format and the inclusion of a course description for Computer
Science and Applications, eligible for high school credit. The Board proposed two
revisions:
Standard Diploma – A typo in the table needs to be corrected.
Course Descriptions – Consider including a “None” statement for courses without
prerequisites to maintain consistency across all entries.
D.
Consulting Services for Secondary ELA (For Possible Action)
Dr. Gunozu shared that CASLV has been working with a consultant who
provides targeted professional development for the English Language Arts ELA department. The consultant, a former CASLV teacher and English Department Head. He has been collaborating with the team since March 2025.
This support, recommended and funded by the Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF),
aims to strengthen ELA instruction. The consultant actively gathers feedback from
administrators and department chairs to guide improvements.
E.
Consulting Services for Data Analysis (For Possible Action)
The continuation agreement involves using SBAC data at the student level. The partner organization analyzes this data three times a year, allowing for accurate assessment and actionable insights at both the student and teacher levels.
Feedback was gathered from all campuses, and all except one expressed interest in
continuing the partnership. CSGF Crush grant funds will cover the service cost.
F.
Academic Policies Manual (For Possible Action)
This item is tabled.
III. Public Comments (Information)
A.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
There were no public comments.