Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
Minutes
Academic Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday September 18, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Location
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 and https://www.oem.nv.gov/recovery/.
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.
Directors Present
Dr. Carryn Warren, Elizabeth Kazelskis, Melinda Kabar
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Amber Nhan, CASLV Academic Program Coordinator, Andrea Katotakis, CASLV Tamarus Campus Principal, Andrea Shepard, CASLV Executive Assistant, David Hall, CASLV Internal Legal Counsel, Dr. Ercan Aydogdu, CASLV Executive Director & CEO, Dr. Mustafa Gunozu, CASLV Chief Academic and School Officer, Mia Nelson, CASLV Nellis AFB Campus Principal, Mine Eraslan, CASLV Assessment & Accountability Director, Selim Tanyeri, CASLV Chief Student Services Officer
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
II. Discussion & Possible Action Items
A.
Report on 2024-2025 School Year Star Ratings (For Possible Action)
The committee received an overview of the 2024-2025 school year performance data from Dr. Jessica Barr, CASLV’s data analyst, via pre-recorded videos. Dr. Barr focused on CASLV's star rating metric, highlighting both the strengths and areas for improvement across each campus. She provided summative performance visuals for each campus with a detailed analaysis.
This was an information item only; no action was taken.
B.
Review of Draft Improvement Plan for Nellis Elementary School (For Possible Action)
Ms. Nelson presented the Nellis Elementary School Improvement Plan and provided an overview of the 2025–2026 Academic Priorities and Goals, addressing questions from committee members. Her presentation highlighted the following priorities:
Priority 1: Student Success
Academic Proficiency: The goal is to increase pooled proficiency on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) from 42.5% in 2024–2025 to 47.5% in 2025–2026. Results from the prior year showed proficiency at 42.2%.
Priority 2: Adult Learning Culture
Teacher Retention: The goal is to increase 3rd–5th grade teacher retention from 27% (5 teachers) to 70% (8 teachers). Current retention is 8 of 11 teachers for 2025–2026, meeting the goal.
Emphasis is placed on fostering a positive school culture, strengthening student engagement, and promoting collaboration among staff.
Priority 3: Connectedness
Chronic Absenteeism: The goal was to reduce the 2023-2024 school year's chronically absenteeism percentage from 11.5% to 10.35% for the following school year. The 2024-2025 chronic absenteeism rate came out as 6.3% which significantly surpassing the set goal.
Teacher Retention: The goal is to increase 3rd–5th grade teacher retention from 27% (5 teachers) to 70% (8 teachers). Current retention is 8 of 11 teachers for 2025–2026, meeting the goal.
A continued commitment remains toward improving student achievement and overall academic growth.
Dr. Ercan emphasized the importance of teaching in the classroom and he recommended budgeting strategically in order to pay teachers more to attract high-quality teachers.
C.
Approval of District Student Learning Plan (Read by Grade 3) (For Possible Action)
The committee reviewed the Nevada Department of Education’s updated guidance for the Read by Grade 3 (RBG3) initiative. The guide outlines statutory requirements under Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and Nevada Administrative Code (NAC), with updates from Senate Bills 52, 278, and 460.
Key Points Discussed:
Student Learning Plan (SLP): The board must review & evaluate for approval a student learning plan used for monitoring growth in reading as required by RBG3. The plan must include a description of intervention services and instruction as outlined in the local literacy plan (LLP). It must also include a notice that students who qualify for RBG3 services will continue to receive RBG3 services in reading until adequate proficiency is achieved based on the score on the state-approved assessment. The current CASLV SLP encompasses all of the requirements.
D.
Revision of the Five-Year Strategic Plan: Update to High School Academic Goal Metric (For Possible Action)
Dr. Gunozu reported that the team, after consulting with the high school team, decided to replace the second academic goal metric. The previous honors diploma metric was difficult to measure and had unrealistic targets for the current year. The new metric will focus on the Average ACT Composite Score, which is more measurable and meaningful. The revised measure will be reflected in the Academic Goal section of the Strategic Plan.
E.
Overview of the System Accreditation Process (For Possible Action)
Dr. Gunozu presented on the accreditation process, noting that it provides quality support to help organize and strengthen schools. The process will take more than a year to complete and includes a comprehensive review of data to improve school management and performance. A timeline of the accreditation steps was shared. The accreditation team, comprised primarily of retired Nevada educators, will visit all CASLV campuses and may request to meet with the Board. If approved, system accreditation will be valid for six years.
This was an information item only; no action was taken.
F.
Amendment and Approval of Special Education Support Staff, LLC (SESS) Contract for the 25-26 School Year (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim reported that the school maintains contracts with outside providers for various services, including health screenings as well as occupational and physical therapy. He clarified that these services are available on an as-needed basis, with fees applied only when utilized. Mr. Selim also summarized the updated hourly rates and noted that the agreement represents a basic membership structure; if services are not used, no payment is required.
III. Public Comments (Information)
A.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
Ms. Kabar joined the meeting at 4:42 pm.