State report cards should help families, educators, policymakers, and other critical stakeholders in various states understand and act on education information for schools, school districts, and states as a whole. While each state finds itself in a different place regarding its own progress in building state report cards with such an impact, emerging research and best practices can inform all states as they engage in continuous improvement for state report cards. This resource proposes considerations to state education leaders -- key questions to ask along with emerging research and best practices that can inform the answers. The considerations encompass the following areas: (1) Feedback and engagement strategies; (2) Data and content; and (3) Development and sustainability. "Communicating Performance: A Best Practices Resource for Developing State Report Cards" is intended to inform next steps regardless of where the state is in the journey to build state report cards that deepen understanding and inform action among key stakeholder groups. It is also intended to help states build on progress made through implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to engage diverse stakeholders. The purpose of this resource is to share emerging research and best practices with state education agency leaders, helping education leaders think through key decisions in all phases of state report card development and continuous improvement. [For a related resource, see ED595377.]