The S.C. Education Oversight Committee (EOC) unanimously voted to approve the SC tiered credential system in an effort to better align high school credentials with workforce priorities and employability. The new system will be implemented beginning with students who will be in the 10th grade during the 2025-26 school year. 

“The rationale is so that high school students will leave with the credentials to be employed in a high-quality job … We are going to put an emphasis on not just earning any industry credentials, but on ones that have a future career option for the student,” EOC member Melanie Barton stated during the June 9th full committee meeting. 

“That was the intent all along, to refine the process and make it more credible.” EOC member Barbara Hairfield said, agreeing with Barton. 

South Carolina public high schools currently use an equal-weight credential system for students. Under this existing system, students are classified as career-ready if they are a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway completer and have earned one approved national or state industry credential. High school students who began school prior to the 2024-25 school year will remain under the current credential system.

The new system categorizes credentials into the following tiers: Introductory (Tier 1), Intermediate (Tier 2), and Career Ready (Tier 3) — allowing students to build on entry level credentials before earning industry-valued credentials. Under this system, students must be a CTE completer and earn a minimum of three points through one of the following combinations:

1. One Tier 3 credential aligned with their career cluster.
2. A combination of one Tier 2 and one Tier 1 credential within the same career pathway.
3. A Universal Credential (e.g., OSHA 10) paired with a Tier 2 or higher credential within the student’s career cluster.

EOC Executive Director Dana Yow emphasized that South Carolina’s business and industry leaders will have a primary role in developing and maintaining the list of credentials. 

“You will see that we employed strategies to involve the business community in this. They are ultimately the users of these credentials. So, if there is something that doesn’t have credential currency in the business community, [they] need to be telling that to the education system. We have a process in place to move that forward,” Yow said.  

The tiered system is expected to be fully implemented by the 2027-2028 school year, allowing districts and high schools a transition period.