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Humboldt Elementary principal outlines Project Momentum, literacy gains and community volunteer surge
Summary
Melissa Tannehill, Humboldt Elementary principal, told the board her school has focused this year on teacher clarity and Project Momentum to convert student growth into higher proficiency.
Melissa Tannehill, principal of Humboldt Elementary School, briefed the Humboldt Unified School District board on academic and behavioral priorities at her campus and on results the school has seen this year. "We shift our focus from student growth to student proficiency," Tannehill said, describing implementation of Project Momentum, teacher‑clarity tools, and a coordinated small‑group RTI model.
Tannehill highlighted literacy progress using the Lexia program. She told the board that when the campus first implemented Lexia, "87% of students were working below grade level in the program" and that after implementation the portion working below grade level fell to about 48 percent; she also said about 80 percent of students met or exceeded usage targets.
Tannehill credited campus staff and volunteers for family engagement events and behavioral supports. She introduced several campus VIPs in the boardroom: Olga Castro, Humboldt Elementary PTA president; Kayla Sorensen, attendance secretary and testing coordinator; and Louis (Lou) Hollander, a Title I teacher. The principal described the campus use of a mentors program in partnership with MATFORCE and a respectful‑learning center based on Edward Ford’s discipline model.
Board members applauded the presentation and asked about comparative scores. One board member noted a post‑COVID decline in math proficiency for older cohorts and said the emphasis on clarity and aligned assessments is an appropriate response. Several board members complimented Tannehill’s leadership and the PTA’s volunteer efforts.
Why it matters: The presentation outlined how the school is aligning curriculum, assessment and instruction with a districtwide improvement effort (Project Momentum). Tannehill argued that emphasizing standards clarity, common success criteria and aligned assessments will drive proficiency gains for the campus’s students.
What’s next: Tannehill said the school will continue to implement Project Momentum components across grade bands and use data from unit assessments and Lexia to monitor progress toward proficiency targets.
