Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
Minutes
Coral Academy of Science Academic Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Friday September 20, 2024 at 2:30 PM
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.
Directors Present
Arlene Hayman, Dr. Carryn Warren, Elizabeth Kazelskis
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Amber Nhan, CASLV Academic Program Coordinator, Andrea Shepard, CASLV Executive Assistant, Dr. Ercan Aydogdu, CASLV Executive Director, Dr. Mustafa Gunozu, CASLV Chief Academic Officer, Mia Nelson, CASLV Nellis AFB Principal, Mine Eraslan, CASLV Assesment and Accountability Coordinator, Nick Sarisahin, CSALV Cheif Financial Officer, Rachael Peckham, CASLV Academic Program Coordinator, Selim Tanyer, CASLV Chief Operations Officer
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Public Comment
II. Discussion & Possible Action Items
A.
CASLV's Charter Renewal (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim presented the draft of the charter renewal application while answering questions and receiving comments/recommendations from the committee. Mr. Selim will make the necessary updates discussed. This will be presented before the full board at the September 25th board meeting.
B.
Academic Performance Data Review (For Possible Action)
Dr. Gunozu, Amber Nhan, and Mine Eraslan presented the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) Star ratings for our seven campuses. Dr. Gunozu explained that the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) mandates states to evaluate all public schools (20 USC §6311(c)(4)(C)). In the NSPF, the star rating reflects the annual assessment of all public schools, including charters, based on the NSPF index score, which is calculated from performance across various indicators and measures in the prior school year. The majority of CASLV schools exhibit 4 and 5 star ratings.
The NSPF index score comprises multiple components, with different metrics for elementary/middle and high schools. Each measure earns points that contribute to an overall score for each indicator. The five indicators combine to produce a total index score on a scale from 1 to 100, which is then mapped to a star performance level. A detailed NSPF package was provided to each board member.
Dr. Gunozu highlighted notable changes in index scores from 2022-23 to 2023-24:
- Cadence ES: +10.5
- Centennial ES: -13.78
- Eastgate ES: +1.0
- Nellis AFB ES: +0.56
- Tamarus ES: -12
- Windmill ES: -18.33
- Sandy Ridge HS: +2
- AP Passing Rate: Improved from 72% to 78%
Key areas of impact include:
- Opportunity Gaps: Most campuses saw changes driven by identifying students who did not pass the Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) tests the previous year and measuring the percentage meeting their academic growth targets.
- Median Growth Percentage: This measures a student's academic improvement relative to peers with similar prior achievement levels.
- Chronic Absenteeism: Represents 10% of overall attendance for students in the district for 91 days or more, equating to 18 absences for a full year.
Ms. Nhan presented local maps to compare NSPF star ratings across schools. She reviewed intervention supports, staffing, and strategies to enhance NSPF and star ratings, noting that K-5 schools have a Literacy Specialist who collaborates with students and teachers during intervention times. Central support includes data-driven instruction, curriculum alignment, test-taking strategies, and professional development for teachers.
Intervention Highlights:
- Cadence: 1 Literacy Specialist, 4 interventionists, 2 English language (EL) teachers; 1:5 teacher-to-student ratio; approximately 20% of students are receiving intervention support.
- Centennial: 1 reading and 1 math interventionist meet daily with students.
- Eastgate: Intervention period for tiers I, II, and III; targeted support for tier III students.
- Nellis AFB: 2 Literacy Specialists, 1 Math Specialist, 7 aides; 1:6 ratio; approximately 10% of students are receiving support.
- Tamarus: 1 Literacy Specialist provides math and reading intervention for all students.
- Sandy Ridge & Windmill: Struggling math and reading students are assigned math/reading lab classes
Ms. Hayman inquired about the unique situation of the Nellis AFB campus. The team provided more information about the interventions at Nellis AFB.
The committee made several recommendations:
- Continue monitoring intervention program implementation and assess their impact on star ratings.
- Review best practices for reducing chronic absenteeism to identify strategies for improvement.
- Nellis Elementary School should continue prioritizing efforts to achieve at least a 3-star rating this year.
- Evaluate strategies and interventions for long-term sustainability and success in enhancing academic performance across CASLV schools.
III. Public Comments (Information)
A.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
There were no public comments.