SOUTH CAROLINA’S STATEWIDE LEARNING JOURNEY
What if we told you a poster could gain superpowers?
What if we told you a poster could gain superpowers?
In 2017-19, South Carolina educators and state leaders had the transformative goal of bringing their Profile of the South Carolina Graduate poster to life. They knew what they wanted graduates of the school system to leave being able to do – but which competencies and skills would get them there? And how could we deeply support teachers, coaches, and school leaders in meeting students where they were at, while aligning learning around a common framework?
Five years into the historic implementation effort that followed from 2019-24, we’re celebrating a monumental shift towards making a personalized, competency-based approach to learning a reality in hundreds of classrooms across the state.
Celebrating Over 5 Years of Successful Competency-Building
More than 5 years. Dozens of schools. Hundreds of educators. Thousands of students. A groundbreaking collaboration between the SC Dept of Ed, districts, schools, and reDesign built a competency framework supporting the Graduate Profile. Success driven by a student-centered, personalized approach with teachers and leaders as co-learners.
Districts and schools had flexibility in choosing support options tailored to their needs and capacity. Implementation support varied, with some sites gradually deepening their participation by involving new educator cohorts or providing parallel opportunities for leaders and staff. Long-term coaching after an initial engagement was a key intensive support mechanism. As the program expanded, measures were put in place to evaluate learning impact and share implementation successes.
Voices from the Field
Designing and implementing South Carolina’s competency framework was a student-centered process powered by the voices of key stakeholders. We captured insights from students, educators, school leaders, fellows, and state/district partners who drove this personalized learning vision forward.
Our Leadership Journey
South Carolina pioneered a personalized, competency-based approach over 5 years through opt-in pathways, intensive coaching, practice sharing, and co-designed resources. The collaborative model created an enduring, equitable foundation for personalizing competency-based learning.
Our data from supporting PCBL implementation in SC includes artifacts, interviews, student work, surveys, and educator input. This comprehensive collection tells the story of facilitating statewide competency-based learning and can inform similar efforts.
Follow SC’s competency framework from research to implementation. This blueprint covers the full lifecycle – design, supports, feedback loops – behind the statewide push for personalized, future-ready learning.
Explore our PCBL Resources
Access curated tools and guides supporting South Carolina’s transition to personalized, competency-based learning. Find resources for educators, leaders, and coaches – from competency frameworks to implementation toolkits to podcasts.