Competencies are statements that describe the combination of skills, knowledge, characteristics, aptitudes, and traits which contribute to high performance. A competency is something that one can do often, in many situations, and with strong results (reDesign). The Profile of the SC Graduate Competencies are 12 competencies that are broken down into skill components in a continuum format. Each skill contains six readiness levels that can be used to explore and analyze growth in a particular skill. It is important to note that the levels do not equate to a specific grade level, but instead represents stages of learning spanning from childhood to adulthood. Take a look at each competency below.

There are multiple ways to access the PSCG Competencies depending on your needs. See the following options below:

• Need a quick overview of what each competency is about? Check out this PSCG GIST Statement document. This is a great tool to help educators make initial connections between the competencies and the content they teach.

• Need a full continuum view of each competency? Check out the PSCG Competency Full Continua document. This version is great for showing the big picture of the development progression of each given competency. 

• Need a version of the PSCG Competencies that you can use to make competency-based tools for your school, or classroom? Check out the PSCG Competency Practitioner’s Version. This editable document is great for copying and pasting the language from the PSCG Competencies directly into any tool, such as a rubric, learning target, self-assessment tool, etc.

• Want to learn more about the PSCG Competencies and how educators in the state are using them to help make the Profile of the SC Graduate actionable for students? Check out Episode 17 of the Makin' It Personal Podcast for the origin story of the competencies and inspiration for their practical use!

• If you are currently using the PSCG Competencies in your context, we want to hear from you! Complete this form to share your feedback and experience with the Competencies.

• Want to chat with a educator in the field who has had experience with Competency Implementation? Reach out to our former Competency Fellows here.

Take a Tour of the Profile of the SC Graduate Competencies

Access the Tour of a Competency Videos by clicking on each of the icons below.

 PSCG Competency First Steps Implementation Guide

Measuring Personalized, Competency-Based Learning Toolkit

How were the PSCG Competencies created?

During the 2017-18 academic year, the SCDE Personalized Learning Team (formerly known as the Office of Personalized Learning) engaged groups of diverse stakeholders from across the state to develop competencies for the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Through this work, we have sought to define the critical components of the world class knowledge, world class skills, and life and career characteristics to ensure all students graduate ready for college, career, and citizenship. This work is grounded in the belief that our Profile of a Graduate is not simply an aspiration for our state; it is our commitment to every child in South Carolina. The PSCG Competencies represent an effort to make our Profile of a Graduate actionable in every classroom and learning space across the state.

With the support of law makers, educators, and stakeholders from across South Carolina, including the established Ad Hoc Committee on Competency Based Education, South Carolina is quickly becoming a national leader in personalized, competency-based learning. The competency design and development work, led by our partners at reDesign, was guided by the following design principles:
 

• Learner-Centered
• Research-Based
• Integrative and Contextualized

It is the aim of the SCDE Personalized Learning Team that educators across the state engage with the PSCG Competencies to learn, explore, and provide critical feedback that will help inform future iterations of the competencies and continua.

For educators who are interested in leading their schools or districts towards making the Profile of the SC Graduate actionable through the use of the PSCG Competencies, the SCDE Personalized Learning Team is offering additional professional learning opportunities: the PSCG Competency-Based Learning Fellows and Community of Practice. In these opportunities, participants will have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills to support successful implementation of the Profile of the SC Graduate Competencies in their school and district contexts.
 

What does the research say about competencies?

According to the Aurora Institute, Competency-Based Education can be defined using the following principles:

1. Students are empowered daily to make important decisions about their learning experiences, how they will create and apply knowledge, and how they will demonstrate their learning.
2. Assessment is a meaningful, positive, and empowering learning experience for students that yields timely, relevant, and actionable evidence.
3. Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.
4. Students’ progress is based on evidence of mastery, not seat time.
5. Students learn actively using different pathways and varied pacing.
6. Strategies to ensure equity for all students are embedded in the culture, structure, and pedagogy of schools and education systems.
7. Rigorous, common expectations for learning (knowledge, skills, and dispositions) are explicit, transparent, measurable, and transferable.

In South Carolina, the Profile of the SC Graduate (PSCG) Competencies serve as a tool that can be used to guide the work of personalized, competency-based education. For more on the importance of competencies and their role in education, please see our FAQ page.