The MC2 Difference

At most high schools, students move from class to class, follow a set schedule, and take tests to prove what they know. Not at MC2.

Here, students don’t just take classes. They create their own learning experiences. Some design independent projects, take on internships, and dive deep into personal research. Instead of worrying about grades, students track their progress through habits—real-world skills like communication, problem-solving, and self-direction.

It’s an incredible system for students who thrive with flexibility, but if you’re a teacher or administrator? You lose control quickly. So how do you track and manage so many individual learning paths at once?

Ditching letter grades in favor of competency-based mastery

MC2 was founded in New Hampshire right as the state became the first to require competency-based learning in public education. It was designed to help students take control of their own learning. They threw out letter grades, one-size-fits-all learning models, and seat time requirements.

Instead, students move at their own pace and earn fractional credits through:

• Studios: interdisciplinary classes that cover multiple subjects in one project
• Internships: real-world experience with local businesses and organizations
• Treks: field experiences that deepen understanding through hands-on learning
• Personal Projects: self-directed learning driven by student interests

Students are assessed using habits, which measure critical life skills like collaboration, time management, and communication. Everything is designed to let students take ownership of their learning—but that means a lot of moving parts all at once.

The system that was getting in the way of learning

MC2 relied on a learning management system (LMS) that wasn’t built for competency-based mastery.

Jason, an MC2 student, experienced the frustration firsthand.

When teachers and students stop using a system, everything suffers:

• Inconsistent progress tracking because the backend was too rigid.
• Delayed feedback on assessments lost in a sea of emails.
• Unreliable data made it way harder to report to parents and colleges.

“I spent 45 hours per quarter just tracking habits in an Excel spreadsheet. I had to read through every student’s narrative and manually count their progress. It was mind-numbingly painful.” - Elizabeth C.

Finding flexibility WITH control

MC2 needed a system that actually worked the way their school worked.

“We had three non-negotiables: Students needed to be able to create their own projects, deadlines had to be flexible, and we needed to track skills separately from coursework. If a system couldn’t do all three, we wouldn’t even consider it.” - Elizabeth C.

Headrush checked every box. Now, Headrush is the backbone of how MC2 operates—and it’s made everything easier.

#1 Give students control over their learning

“Before, I had a graveyard of old Google Drive folders from past projects. Now, I can just link everything inside Headrush. It saves so much time.” - Jason

• Students propose and design their own projects
• They set and adjust their own timelines
• They track their competencies in real-time, instead of waiting for a final assessment

#2 Create an instant feedback loop

Feedback used to require students sending an email saying “please take a look”, and teachers responding, “I’ve reviewed, look now.” If you forget to send that email, or think you sent it but didn’t, you lose all momentum. With Headrush, both sides get notified automatically.

“I used to have to email my teachers five times a day just to get them to look at something. Now, Headrush just sends an email automatically whenever I submit something. They click on it, review it, and I get feedback right away.” - Jason

For teachers, this means more frequent, meaningful feedback—without the administrative headache.

#3 Track habits and competencies in a flexible way

Since MC2 doesn’t use grades, they needed a better way to measure student growth in a visual way. That’s why they introduced the idea of a Habit Heat Map.

“Every student has 17 habits they work on, like self-direction and problem-solving. Every time they demonstrate a habit, it’s logged into Headrush. The more they improve, the deeper the color gets. It’s a visual stock ticker of how they’re growing.” - Elizabeth C.

Since these habits unlock privileges to off-campus access, internships, even athletic eligibility, students actually care about their habit scores.

#4 Get rid of obstacles to learning

It’s also way easier to get students up to speed.

“A teacher can say, ‘Go into Headrush and navigate to your module,’ and everyone can just do it. No more ‘I lost my password’ or ‘I can’t find my assignment.’ It just works.” - Jason

#5 Make onboarding easier for teachers

Bringing in new teachers used to be overwhelming. They had to understand the school’s unique model and navigate a completely different way of teaching—all while managing their students.

Before Headrush, that meant hours of manual tracking and figuring things out as they went.

“With our old system, I spent half an hour just getting kids into the right place. Now, there’s almost no barrier to getting started.” - Elizabeth C

Not anymore.

Headrush does a lot of the heavy lifting. New teachers find past student projects, templates, and portfolios all in one place. The system mirrors how MC2 actually works—so onboarding is about using the platform, not memorizing rules.

#6 Work with a partner, not a vendor

Switching to a new LMS can be overwhelming for students, teachers, and parents. That’s why the Headrush team didn’t just hand over a login and walk away. They worked alongside MC2 for months, fine-tuning workflows and training teachers to make sure everything ran smoothly.

“Most companies sell you software and disappear. Headrush worked with us for months to make sure it actually fit our model.” - Elizabeth C.

Why should other schools invest in Headrush?

“Why wouldn’t you want the best tool for the job? If you’re running a business, you wouldn’t use outdated equipment. Schools should be the same way.” - Elizabeth C

And for students like Jason? “It’s like Google Classroom on steroids." - Jason

Feel the rush

MC2 wanted a student-driven model without the chaos. Before Headrush, tracking progress, giving feedback, and onboarding teachers was a mess. Their old system slowed everyone down.

Now, Headrush keeps everything organized without sacrificing flexibility. Students own their learning and teachers can give feedback without friction.