HCM Strategists × Learning Heroes — report-card redesign case study

HCM Strategists' published case study on its multi-year partnership with Learning Heroes to design parent-friendly state school report cards. Names the states, artifact, and methodology behind the redesign work — and identifies Edge Research as the qualitative-research provider on both this project and the SBAC × PTA 2022 study.

What the partnership produced

A model "ESSA-compliant, parent-friendly school report card" that other states have customized to their own accountability systems. The model is not just a design template — it codifies what HCM and Learning Heroes' research found parents actually want from school-level report cards (vs. student-level reports). The case study describes the shipped artifact in two phrases:

  • "intuitive tool for parents seeking to understand school performance"
  • information presented in "context, language and format that parents said they most valued"

The case study does not link to or screenshot the model; the artifact is referenced rather than displayed.

States explicitly named

Four primary states participated in the underlying research and model development:

  • South Dakota — chose to start over rather than tweak the prior state report; built a new report card "truly responsive to what parents want to know" using easy-to-understand language.
  • Texas
  • New Mexico — built an online parent portal with short videos walking families through the school report card.
  • Massachusetts — partnered with local parent organizations for usability feedback sessions and incorporated that feedback into the final state report card.

The case study notes "several other states have begun work to customize our model" without naming them.

Methodology

Mixed-method qualitative + quantitative research conducted by Edge Research: focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys across five states. Findings informed the model report card.

CCSSO connection

HCM provided technical assistance to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) based on the research, expanding reach beyond the four primary states.

What the case study reveals about the strategy

This is the cleanest documented example of the "improve communication around existing scores" strategy executed at state scale. It sits in direct contrast to Illinois's 2025 cut-score change (the "redefine the signal" strategy applied to the student report card). Illinois changed what proficiency means; HCM/Learning Heroes left the signal intact and changed how it's presented.

Worth noting: the four named states (SD, TX, NM, MA) are school-level report cards, not student-level report cards. The student-side report card — which is where parents actually look up their own child — is a different artifact, and the case study does not claim to have redesigned it.

What the case study does not address

  • No quantitative outcomes. The case study reports no measurable effects on parent comprehension, engagement, or behavior change. The framing is about what was shipped, not what it did. This is the clearest single instance of the broader pattern identified in Momentum and sentiment across the field.
  • No bilingual / non-English findings, despite the research dating from a period when Learning Heroes' partnerships with UnidosUS and Univision were active.
  • No mention of whether the model report card connects school performance to real-world outcomes (career pathways, civic literacy) or only translates academic proficiency into more legible academic terms.

Significance

A concrete artifact behind the "improve the signal" strategy named in perception gap and overview. Also notable for surfacing Edge Research as a recurring qualitative-research supplier on this topic — the same firm conducted the SBAC × PTA 2022 focus groups, suggesting a small ecosystem of researchers shaping the parent-facing reporting space.