Seals of distinction.pdf

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

ELLEN E. WEAVER

STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION

South Carolina Seals of Distinction

2022-2023 Overview and Guidelines

January 2023

The South Carolina Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability in admission to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies should be made to the Employee Relations Manager, 1429 Senate

Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, 803-734-8781. For further information on federal non-discrimination regulations, including Title IX, contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at

OCR.DC@ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.

Attachment C mailto:OCR.DC@ed.gov

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 1

January 2023

Contents

Contents

Diploma Pathways Legislation

Seals of Distinction Overview

Seals of Distinction Qualifying Criteria Templates

2022-2023 Seals of Distinction Qualifying Criteria

2022-2023 Seal Specific Criteria Clarification

2021-2022 Seals of Distinction Qualifying Criteria

2021-2022 Seal Specific Criteria Clarification

Timeline for Meeting Qualifying Criteria for the Seals of Distinction

Enrich Seals of Distinction Report

PowerSchool Coding for Seals of Distinction

Seals of Distinction Coding in IGPs

Postgraduate Student Email Address

Parchment Accounts

District Responsibilities

Dissemination of Information

Record Keeping

Recognition and Awarding

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 2

Diploma Pathways Legislation

On May 19, 2017, the South Carolina Governor signed legislation allowing for personalized pathways to a South Carolina high school diploma. South Carolina Code Ann., § 59-39-100, was amended to read as follows:

To support the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, for students entering ninth grade beginning with the 2018-2019 School Year, the twenty-four units required are as prescribed in this section and in regulation by the State Board of Education. (1) Students will continue to be required to earn the units of credit as prescribed in regulation and, when applicable, be offered national industry certifications and credential. (2)

Coursework must be aligned with a student's personalized diploma pathway. The State

Board of Education shall promulgate regulations that outline the process and procedures for approval of courses to personalize pathways based on students' postsecondary plans and include an annually updated course activity coding manual listing approved courses.

The individualized graduation planning process must plan each student's personalized pathway based on his postsecondary plans.

This personalized path to a high school diploma is referred to as Diploma Pathways. There are three key components of this legislation: Diploma Pathway Courses developed by a school district to meet the unique needs of students, Seals of Distinction, and the State Employability

Credential.

The amendment above led to the following addition to Regulation No.: R.43-234 Defined

Program, Grades 9-12 and Graduation Requirements:

B. Students shall have the opportunity to earn endorsements within each high school diploma pathway; however, earning an endorsement is not a requirement for graduation. Endorsements shall identify a particular area of focus, beginning with the freshman class of 2018–19. The earning of a graduation endorsement shall be based upon the following criteria:

1. Students shall meet all requirements for earning a South Carolina high school diploma as set forth above and within this regulation.

2. Students may earn one or more endorsements in pathways approved in guidelines set by the State Board of Education (SBE). School districts may apply to the SBE to have additional endorsements approved.

3. English I, II, III, IV or their course equivalents (customized English I, II, III, IV as approved by the SBE through the locally designed course process as mentioned in II.H.1) or higher level courses (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Credit, etc.) must be taken to receive an endorsement.

C. The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has the authority to develop guidelines approved by the SBE in accordance with provisions of this regulation.

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 3

Seals of Distinction Overview

The South Carolina Seals of Distinction are a state-level award granted by the South Carolina

Department of Education.

The Seals of Distinction do not appear on students’ transcripts or diplomas but are instead issued via the Parchment application in the form of a South Carolina Department of Education digital credential. Students must possess a Parchment account to claim their South Carolina Department of Education Seal of Distinction digital credentials.

The Seals of Distinction digital credentials will be available for students to claim after graduation. An email announcing their availability will be sent to the email address stored in the

‘Postgraduate Student Email’ field in PowerSchool.

The implementation of this policy is required for all Local Education Agency high schools.

Seals of Distinction Qualifying Criteria Templates

The graduating class of 2023 may meet the requirements of the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 Seals of Distinction Templates to qualify for any Seal of Distinction.

The graduating classes of 2024 and after may not use the criteria of the 2021-2022 Seals of

Distinction Template to qualify for any Seal of Distinction.

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 4

2022-2023 Seals of Distinction Qualifying Criteria

Students must earn credit in all identified courses to qualify for the corresponding Seal of

Distinction. Schools are encouraged to expand offerings in honors courses, fine arts courses, etc.

to enable students to earn multiple Seals of Distinction. Schools with limited capacity are encouraged to use VirtualSC, additional online platforms, or other creative avenues approved by the South Carolina Department of Education to expand course offerings.

2022-2023 Seal Specific Criteria Clarification

Honors Seal of Distinction

UGP GPA 3.5 or higher

AND

English 4 credits 2 at honors or higher level

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 5

Math

Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and a

4th higher level math requiring Algebra

2 as a prerequisite

3 at honors or higher level

Lab Science* 3 credits 2 at honors or higher level

Social Studies 3 credits 2 at honors or higher level

World

Language

2 credits of the same language for students entering 9th grade in 2018–2019

3 credits of the same language for students entering 9th grade in 2019–2020 and beyond

Advanced

Coursework**

4 additional credits of honors or higher level courses completed during the

Junior/Senior years (the last 2 years prior to graduation)

*Lab science courses are designated by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

Qualifying science courses are biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and any science for which biology, chemistry, physics and/or earth science is a prerequisite. Courses in general or introductory science for which one of these four units is not a prerequisite will not meet this requirement.

**The 4 credits of Advanced Coursework are in addition to the required 2 English, 3 math, 2 lab science, and 2 social studies courses at honors or higher level. The 4 Advanced Coursework credits can be in any subject area if the courses are weighted at the honors or higher level. The 4

Advanced Coursework credits of honors or higher can be earned by additional honors or higher courses taken in the subject areas listed above.

For example: A student takes English 1 Honors, English 2 Honors, English 3 Honors, and

English 4 Honors. English 1 Honors and English 2 Honors qualifies as the 2 required

English courses at honors level or higher. English 3 Honors and English 4 Honors can be counted as 2 of the 4 Advanced Coursework credits as they were taken during the two years prior to graduation.

College Ready Seal of Distinction

UGP GPA 3.0 or higher or ACT 20 or higher* or SAT 1020 or higher*

AND

English 4 credits

Math Algebra 1 (or the equivalent of Algebra 1**), Algebra 2, Geometry, and a

4th Higher Level Math

Lab Science*** 3 credits

Social Studies 3 credits

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 6

*SAT and ACT tests may be superscored.

** The combination of Foundations in Algebra and Intermediate Algebra may be used to satisfy the Algebra 1 course requirement in the College Ready Seal of Distinction.

*** Lab sciences courses are designated by the South Carolina Commission on Higher

Education. Qualifying science courses are biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and any science for which biology, chemistry, physics and/or earth science is a prerequisite. Courses in general or introductory science for which one of these four units is not a prerequisite will not meet this requirement.

A Career and Technical Education (CTE) Completer has earned all required units in a state recognized CTE program identified by the assigned Classification of Instructional Programs

(CIP) code. State recognized CTE programs with approved course listing for each CIP code can be found in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student Reporting Procedures Guides.

A complete listing of South Carolina Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) can be found on the

South Carolina Department of Education website.

The Career Readiness Exam criteria is met by scoring Silver, Gold, or Platinum on ACT

WorkKeys or the WIN Learning Ready to Work career assessments.

*Beginning with the spring 2023 administration of the South Carolina Career Ready Test, students may meet this criteria with a score that meets the indicator for South Carolina Career

Readiness.

A Career Ready Work-Based Learning (WBL) Placement must meet all of the career ready qualifiers in the South Carolina Accountability System. These qualifiers can be found on the

World Language 2 credits of the same language

Fine Arts 1 credit

Career Ready Seal of Distinction

UGP GPA 3.0 or higher

AND

Career and Technical

Education (CTE) Completer with an industry recognized credential or

Silver or higher on

Career Readiness

Exam* or

Completion of Career Ready

Work-Based Learning

(WBL) placement https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/career-and-technical-education/performance-accountability/cte-data-collection-and-reporting/ https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/career-and-technical-education/programs-and-courses/cate-programs/2020-21-cte-career-ready-certifications/ https://eoc.sc.gov/sites/eoc/files/Documents/Acct%20Manual%2022%2023/FINAL%20AccountabilityManual%20SY%202022-23%20(2022%2007%2008).pdf https://eoc.sc.gov/sites/eoc/files/Documents/Acct%20Manual%2022%2023/FINAL%20AccountabilityManual%20SY%202022-23%20(2022%2007%2008).pdf https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/career-and-technical-education/career-guidance/work-based-learning/wbl-implementation-guide-2022/

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 7

Specialization Seals of Distinction

STEM Specialization

UGP GPA 3.0 or higher

AND

4 credits beyond required courses in math, science, technology, and engineering; at least 2 at honors level or higher; may be in 1 area of STEM or across all 4 areas

Courses that qualify as STEM courses:

• Graduation credit courses in science, math, and computer science as identified in the

Activity Coding System Manual.

• Course listed under the Information Technology, Health Science, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics clusters of CTE courses listed in the Activity

Coding System Manual.

• Course listed in the Activity Coding System Manual with Engineering or Technology in the course name.

World Language Specialization

AND

4 credits in the same language OR a nationally normed proficiency-based language assessment score of “Intermediate Low” OR AP exam score of 3 or higher OR IB exam score of 4 or higher OR Cambridge AICE Language exam score of E or better before the senior year.

The Diploma Pathways Seal of Distinction for World Language Specialization can be earned with accumulated World Language course credits OR with a minimum score on a nationally normed language assessment.

To reach the "Intermediate Low" threshold using a STAMP score, a minimum score of 4 in ALL areas (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) is required. A score of less than 4 in ANY of the areas (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking), does not met the minimum required score.

The Diploma Pathways Seals of Distinction for World Language differs from the South Carolina

Seal of Biliteracy. The South Carolina Seal of Biliteracy is a proficiency-based award. It is awarded based on the levels of proficiency measured by a nationally normed language assessment. Students cannot use accumulated credits to qualify for the South Carolina Seal of

Biliteracy.

Military Specialization

AND

https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/high-school-courses-and-requirements/activity-coding-system-for-the-student-information-system-2022-23/ https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/high-school-courses-and-requirements/activity-coding-system-for-the-student-information-system-2022-23/ https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/high-school-courses-and-requirements/activity-coding-system-for-the-student-information-system-2022-23/ https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/high-school-courses-and-requirements/activity-coding-system-for-the-student-information-system-2022-23/ https://www.ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/world-languages/instructional-resources/south-carolina-seal-of-biliteracy-overview-and-guidelines/

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 8

4 credits in JROTC

ASVAB score of 31 or higher

Arts Specialization

4 credits in single or multiple areas of the Arts; 2 or more at honors or higher level*

*If honors credit is not available for visual arts or performing arts courses, students must complete four courses in a single area.

Mastery on an external exam or performance task

Mastery on External Exam or Performance Task Expanded Criteria

Beginning with the Graduating Class of 2023

External Written Examinations

• AP Score of 3 or higher; 2-D Art and Design, 3-D Art and Design, Drawing, Art

History, Music Theory

• IB External Assessment (EA) Score of 4 or higher; Dance, Music (exception: Group

Performance), Theater, Visual Arts, Film

Externally Evaluated Performance Task

Dance

• Selected dancer from an individual adjudicated event sponsored by a state or district entity (i.e., SCDA Festival, SCAHPERD Conference, District Honors Dance

Company.)

• Earned superior rating in solo adjudication at state or district sponsored competition or performance setting (i.e., SCDA State Dance Team Championship, Kaleidoscope

Performance, Gala Performance.)

Music

• Seated or Alternate member of an auditioned honor ensemble (all-district, all-region, all-state, or national) supported by the school’s music program (i.e. All State, Region, etc.)

• Superior Rating on Solo Performance at Solo and Ensemble Event.

Theater

• Individual recognition for performance in a monologue, one act, musical theater, or

“Tech Olympics” event through the South Carolina Theater Association or Palmetto

Dramatic Association.

• Accumulation of points sufficient for membership in the International Thespian

Society.

Visual Art

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 9

• Promotion of artwork from regional SCAEA Youth Art Month Exhibits to state SCAEA

Youth Art Month Exhibit.

• Individual recognition in externally juried local shows and exhibits.

• Induction into National Art Honor Society.

Externally Evaluated Performance Tasks are based on guidance from: South Carolina Art

Education Association, South Carolina Dance Association, South Carolina Music Educators

Association, and South Carolina Theatre Association.

2021-2022 Seals of Distinction Qualifying Criteria

Students must earn credit in all identified courses to qualify for the corresponding Seal of

Distinction. Schools are encouraged to expand offerings in honors courses, fine arts courses, etc.

to enable students to earn multiple Seals of Distinction. Schools with limited capacity are encouraged to use VirtualSC, additional online platforms, or other creative avenues approved by the South Carolina Department of Education to expand course offerings.

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 10

2021-2022 Seal Specific Criteria Clarification

Honors Seal of Distinction

UGP GPA 3.5 or higher

AND

English 4 credits 2 at honors or higher level

Math

Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and a

4th higher level math requiring Algebra

2 as a prerequisite

3 at honors or higher level

Lab Science* 3 credits 2 at honors or higher level

Social Studies 3 credits 2 at honors or higher level

World

Language

2 credits of the same language for students entering 9th grade in 2018–2019

3 credits of the same language for students entering 9th grade in 2019–2020 and beyond

Advanced

Coursework**

4 additional credits of honors or higher completed during the Junior/Senior years (the last 2 years prior to graduation)

*Lab sciences courses: biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and any science for which biology, chemistry, physics and/or earth science is a prerequisite. Courses in general or

**The 4 additional credits of Advanced Coursework are in addition to the required 2 English, 3 math, 2 lab science, and 2 social studies courses at honors or higher level. The 4 additional credits of advanced coursework can be in any subject area if the course is weighted at the honors or higher level. The 4 additional credits of Advanced Coursework must be completed during the final two years of high school.

College Ready Seal of Distinction

UGP GPA 3.0 or higher or ACT 20 or higher* or SAT 1020 or higher*

AND

English 4 credits

Math Algebra 1 (or the equivalent of Algebra 1**), Algebra 2, Geometry, and a

4th Higher Level Math

Lab Science*** 3 credits

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 11

*SAT and ACT tests may be superscored

** The combination of Foundations in Algebra and Intermediate Algebra may be used to satisfy the Algebra 1 course requirement in the College Ready Seal of Distinction.

***Lab sciences courses: biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and any science for which biology, chemistry, physics and/or earth science is a prerequisite. Courses in general or

*An Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) major is four aligned courses within a career cluster designated by the school district as a part of the EEDA legislation. Courses include state approved and/or local board approved courses based on district curriculum framework.

**A Career and Technical Education (CTE) Completer has earned all required units in a state recognized CTE program identified by the assigned Classification of Instructional Programs

(CIP) code. State recognized CTE programs with approved course listing for each CIP code can be found on the SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION website.

Social Studies 3 credits

World Language 2 credits of the same language

Fine Arts 1 credit

Career Seal of Distinction

UGP GPA 2.5 or higher

AND

English 4 credits

Math 4 credits

Science 3 credits

Social Studies 3 credits

AND

Education and Economic Development Act

(EEDA) major* or

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Completer**

AND

One industry recognized credential*** or

Silver or higher on

Career Readiness

Exam or

Completion of Career Ready

Work-Based Learning

(WBL) placement**** https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/career-and-technical-education/programs-and-courses/cate-programs/2021-22-cte-concentrator-requirements/

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 12

***A complete listing of South Carolina Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) can be found on the South Carolina Department of Education website.

****A Career Ready Work-Based Learning (WBL) Placement credit must meet the career ready qualifiers in the South Carolina Accountability System. These qualifiers can be found on the

Specialization Seals of Distinction

STEM Specialization

AND

4 credits beyond required courses in math, science, technology, and engineering; at least 2 at honors level or higher; may be in 1 area of STEM or across 4 areas*

*Courses that qualify as STEM courses:

• Graduation credit courses in science and math identified in the Activity Coding Manual.

• Course listed under the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics cluster of

CTE courses listed in the Activity Coding Manual.

• Course listed in the Activity Coding Manual with Engineering or Technology in the course name.

World Language Specialization

AND

4 credits in the same language OR minimum ACTFL Exam score of “Intermediate Low” (or an equated score on STAMP* or ASL assessment) OR AP exam score of 3 or higher OR IB exam score of 4 or higher before the senior year;

English Learners – all criteria above and Level 5 composite ACCESS test score

* To reach the "Intermediate Low" threshold using a STAMP score, a minimum score of 4 in

ALL areas (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) is required. A score of less than 4 in

ANY of the areas (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking), does not met the minimum required score.

The Diploma Pathways Seals of Distinction for World Language differs from the South Carolina

Seal of Biliteracy.

The South Carolina Seal of Biliteracy is a proficiency-based award. It is awarded based on the levels of proficiency measured by a nationally normed language assessment. Students cannot use accumulated credits to qualify for the South Carolina Seal of Biliteracy.

https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/career-and-technical-education/programs-and-courses/cate-programs/2020-21-cte-career-ready-certifications/ https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/career-and-technical-education/career-guidance/work-based-learning/wbl-implementation-guide-2022/ https://www.ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/world-languages/instructional-resources/south-carolina-seal-of-biliteracy-overview-and-guidelines/

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 13

The Diploma Pathways Seal of Distinction for World Language Specialization can be earned with accumulated credits OR with a minimum score on a nationally normed language assessment.

Military Specialization

AND

4 credits in JROTC

ASVAB score of 31 or higher

Arts Specialization

AND

4 credits in single or multiple areas of the Arts; 2 or more at honors or higher level mastery on external exam or performance task. *waived for Class of 2022*

Timeline for Meeting Qualifying Criteria for the Seals of Distinction

The graduating class of 2023 may meet the criteria on the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 Seals of

Distinction Templates to qualify for any Seal of Distinction.

The graduating classes of 2024 and after may not use the criteria from the 2021-2022 Seals of

Distinction Template to qualify for any Seal of Distinction.

The Seals of Distinction GPA requirements may be met by either the:

• End of first semester senior year GPA*

• Final GPA

*Seniors who meet the GPA criteria at the end of first semester have satisfied this requirement.

These students do not have to requalify with their final GPA.

School districts should designate a cutoff date to report test scores, industry credentials, etc. that may be required to earn a Seal of Distinction.

Enrich Seals of Distinction Report

The Enrich Seals of Distinction Report was created to assist school/district staff identify students who qualify for one or more Seals of Distinction. This report should be used in conjunction with other verification methods as it does not identify all earned Seals of Distinction.

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 14

The Enrich Seals of Distinction report is being updated to identify the 2022-2023 Seals of

Distinction requirements and should be released to Enrich production systems in mid-February with Enrich version 23.1.1.

The Enrich Seals of Distinction report is located on the Enrich home page for users who have the appropriate permission enabled. If the Seals of Distinction Report is not available in your

Reports box, contact your Enrich system administrator to enable the permission for you.

To run the report, click on the Seals of Distinction report name. A Report Criteria box will appear where you can select a school if desired. The “Class of” filter will default to the current roster year. To view underclassmen reports, select later years.

• Click Run - to render the report on the screen (use the vertical and horizontal scroll bars to view all columns and rows.)

• Click Export - to save the results in a CSV file that you can open in Excel (this option allows you to filter and sort as desired.)

The Help link at the top right of the screen can be used to view a list of the Seals of Distinction criteria.

The report contains one row per student. There are 7 columns showing which Seal(s) of

Distinction the student qualifies for. Scroll to the right to see more columns with supporting details, including assessments, credits, and career information.

Please Note:

• This report counts COMPLETED course credits; thus you may not see “Y”s in the Seals columns until students’ credits are posted in PowerSchool and imported into Enrich.

• Applicable assessments (ACT, SAT, ASVAB, etc.) must be imported into Enrich in order for the report to be accurate.

• This report does not have access to the required data to accurately report:

o World Language Specialization Seal – Enrich does not currently support the import of ACTFL or ASL assessments.

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 15 o Career Ready Seal via the EEDA major (2021-2022) – The criteria varies by district; students who meet EEDA criteria will not be shown.

New In Enrich version 23.1.1 (mid-February):

• The Enrich report is being updated to identify the requirements of the 2022-2023 Seal of

Distinction template.

• A new assessment field “SC Arts Seal External Task” will be added to allow districts to manually record when a student meets an “externally evaluated performance task” requirement in Dance, Music, Theater or Visual Art. The Seals report will use this data to help determine if students have earned an Arts Specialization Seal.

• Enrich will support the ACTFL assessments such as AAPL, WPT, OPI and Alira. These scores can be imported or added manually. The Seals report will use the ACTFL test score data to determine if students have earned the World Language Specialization Seal.

Contact Enrich Support for more information regarding the file import.

The Enrich report is a tool school/district staff may use to identify students who qualify for one or more Seals of Distinction. The official coding of earned Seals of Distinction must be completed in PowerSchool.

PowerSchool Coding for Seals of Distinction

Earned Seals of Distinction are coded on the SC Student Information page. Only earned and verified Seals of Distinction should be entered on this page.

The graduating class of 2023 may meet the requirements of the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 Seals of Distinction Templates to qualify for any Seal of Distinction.

To enter a student’s earned Seal(s) of Distinction, navigate to the SC Student Information page:

Start Page > Student Selection > South Carolina State Information > SC Student

Information

Scroll to the section titled "Diploma Pathways Seals of Distinction." Click the "New" button to designate all earned Seals of Distinction for the student. (If the student earned more than one

Seal of Distinction, click the "New" button again to add additional earned Seal(s) of Distinction.)

Once all earned Seals of Distinction have been added, click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. Note that the entry/entries will not be saved until submitted in PowerSchool.

• The deadline to enter earned Seals of Distinction for first semester graduates is January

27, 2023.

• The deadline to enter earned Seals of Distinction for spring graduates is June 15, 2023.

• The deadline to enter earned Seals of Distinction for summer graduates is August 31, 2023.

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 16

Seals of Distinction Coding in IGPs

Seals of Distinction are not required but optional endorsements for students. Therefore, Seals of

Distinction are not required to be entered into students’ IGP Success Planner. However, by entering Seals of Distinction in the IGP Success Planner (on step 2), schools will have the ability to create reports to gather data for intended Seals of Distinction.

EEDA Majors MUST be entered in the IGP Success Planner by the end of students’ sophomore year.

Any EEDA Major and/or Seal of Distinction designated in the IGP Planner is “intended,” not

“earned.” All earned Seals of Distinction must be entered into students’ SC Student Information page. (See PowerSchool Coding for Seals of Distinction above.)

Postgraduate Student Email Address

A valid email address, accessible to the student after exiting high school, is necessary for issuance of the student's Seal(s) of Distinction. This email address (one valid email address only, per student) must be entered in the "Postgraduate Student Email" field on the Demographics page in PowerSchool:

Start Page > Student Selection > General Demographics

Please do not enter school/district email addresses, as students may no longer have access to such email addresses after graduation.

Instructions for claiming earned Seals of Distinction will be emailed to the email address listed in the “Postgraduate Student Email” field a few weeks after graduation.

• The deadline to enter postgraduate student email addresses for first semester graduates is

January 27, 2023

• The deadline to enter postgraduate student email addresses for spring graduates is June

15, 2023

• The deadline to enter postgraduate student email addresses for summer graduates is

August 31, 2023

Parchment Accounts

The Seals of Distinction are awarded by the South Carolina Department of Education in the form of digital credentials issued via the Parchment application. Student recipients are notified via email that their Seal(s) of Distinction are ready to be claimed in Parchment. Students can then claim, share, and send their digital credential through Parchment’s platform.

High schools are not required to have a Parchment account for their students to claim their Seals of Distinction through Parchment. Because the Seals of Distinction are issued on behalf of the

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 17

South Carolina Department of Education (rather than on behalf of the high school) through

Parchment, it’s not a requirement for the high school to have a Parchment account.

Graduates must possess a Parchment account to claim their Seal of Distinction digital credential(s.) Once the award is issued, graduates will receive an email from Parchment asking them to claim their Seal(s) of Distinction. This notification email will be sent a few weeks after graduation. If the graduate doesn’t have a Parchment account, the email will prompt them to create an account with Parchment.

Students with established Parchment accounts:

The postgraduate student email address entered into PowerSchool MUST match the student’s personal email address associated with their Parchment account. If initially linked to a district email address, the student’s Parchment account must be updated with their personal email address before losing access to that district email address. This can be accomplished by the student after logging into their Parchment account.

Students without established Parchment accounts:

Students without established Parchment accounts must create an account to claim their Seal(s) of

Distinction. This account can be created at any time, including after receipt of the notification email from Parchment.

District Responsibilities

Dissemination of Information

Schools and districts will provide all students and their families information on the South

Carolina Seals of Distinction as soon as possible so that students can organize their schedules and plan to meet the requirements necessary to receive this honor.

Schools and districts will provide all students and their families information on creating

Parchment accounts that must be used to claim their earned Seal(s) of Distinction digital credential(s.)

Record Keeping

Districts will designate a staff member (or multiple staff members) to serve as a liaison between the district and the Office of Research and Data Analysis (ORDA) at the South Carolina

Department of Education. Districts will assign the designated person to the Seals of Distinction

Contact role in the District Entity Management System (DEIM).

Schools and districts will develop procedures locally to ensure student Parchment accounts are available to students beyond graduation for accessing their digital Seals of Distinction.

Schools and districts will develop procedures locally to determine who at the school level will enter students’ verified Seal(s) of Distinction and Postgraduate Email Address into PowerSchool.

• Deadline to enter earned Seals of Distinction and Postgraduate Student Email addresses for first semester graduates: January 27, 2023.

https://www.ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/school-identification-numbers-sidn/district-and-entity-information-management-deim/

Seals of Distinction Overview & Guidelines Page 18

• Deadline to enter earned Seals of Distinction and Postgraduate Student Email addresses for spring graduates: June 15, 2023.

• Deadline to enter earned Seals of Distinction and Postgraduate Student Email addresses for summer graduates: August 31, 2023.

Recognition and Awarding

Schools and districts are encouraged to make the awarding of South Carolina’s Seals of

Distinction a prominent component at appropriate ceremonies such as graduation.

However, schools and districts may not offer a district level recognition of earned Seals of

Distinction until the digital credential has been verified by school personnel.

Schools and districts will inform all graduates and their families their Seal(s) of Distinction will be available a few weeks after graduation. Notification of availability will be sent to the students’ postgraduate student email addresses recorded in PowerSchool.