We need to support non-traditional learners. What system handles "competency-based education" transcripts instead of just credit hours?

If you mean the student-record/transcript system that can represent competencies rather than only courses and credit hours, the key concept is a Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), increasingly implemented using IMS/1EdTech’s CLR standards. It is designed to capture skills, competencies, learning outcomes, assessments, and achievements, not just course completions.IMS Global

For an institution supporting non-traditional learners, I’d distinguish three layers:

• CBE program model: Students advance by demonstrating mastery of defined competencies rather than simply accumulating seat time. The U.S. Department of Education calls the version that doesn't measure progress in credit/clock hours direct assessment CBE.U.S. Department of Education
• Academic transcript/record: A competency-based educational record records what the learner actually demonstrated. AACRAO is currently working on standardized components for these records because conventional transcripts don't adequately represent CBE learning.AACRAO
• Digital credential/portable record: A CLR can make those competencies and achievements digitally verifiable and shareable with employers or other institutions.IMS Global

If you're choosing an SIS/registrar technology, don't look merely for “CBE support.” Look for a system that can:

1. Store individual competencies and mastery status.
2. Associate competencies with assessments/evidence.
3. Map competencies to traditional course/credit equivalents for transfer.
4. Produce either a competency transcript or dual transcript.
5. Export a standards-based digital learner record such as CLR.

California's community colleges are a useful real-world example: their Direct Assessment CBE initiative uses a dual transcript showing competencies alongside equivalent traditional course credits.cccco.edu+1

So, in short: the “system” you want is a CBE-capable student information/academic-record system, ideally paired with a Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), rather than a conventional credit-hour transcript alone.

Handling competency-based education (CBE) and proficiency- or mastery-based records requires systems that go beyond the traditional credit-hour and GPA data structures of legacy Student Information Systems (SIS).

The primary systems and platforms that handle competency-based transcripts and learning records span enterprise software, specialized CBE tracking layers, and next-generation digital credential networks:

• Core Higher Education Competency Management System (CompMS): Specifically built for tracking micro- and macro-student competency assessments, curriculum mapping, and generating competency certificates and specialized transcripts.services.corehighered.com+1
• Jenzabar One: Offers purpose-built support for Competency-Based Education programs natively within its Jenzabar Student Registration module , empowering institutions to track non-traditional, self-paced progress paths.jenzabar.com+1
• Ellucian (SIS): While traditionally structured around the standard credit/clock-hour paradigm, Ellucian's modern cloud-based SIS architecture supports direct assessment and non-traditional tracking configurations, often integrated with specialized learning management or assessment systems.ellucian.com+1
• Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) / Mastery.org: Widely used in advanced secondary and transitioning higher-ed contexts, the MTC Mastery Transcript provides a dynamic, interactive digital profile and learning record that maps specific competencies and student work instead of letter grades.nasbe.org+2
• 1EdTech Consortium (CBE & e-Transcripts Working Groups): Rather than a single vendor, this body develops interoperability standards specifically for extended, web-based digital credentials and competency reporting so registrars and employers can exchange descriptive mastery data.imsglobal.org+1

To help narrow down the right platform, tell me:

• Are you looking for a full enterprise SIS replacement or a supplemental transcript/credentialing tool?
• Is this for Higher Education or K-12 / Continuing Education?

The system/record you’re looking for is a Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), paired with a competency-based education (CBE) student information/assessment system.

• CLR: Records what a learner knows and can do—competencies, mastery levels, assessments/evidence, credentials, badges, and skills—instead of only courses, grades, and credit hours. The 1EdTech CLR standard is specifically designed to extend the traditional transcript with competency attainment and other learning evidence.1EdTech
• CBE-enabled SIS: Tracks progress against competencies and produces the academic record. C-BEN notes that conventional SIS platforms are generally built around courses and credit accumulation and need competency tracking/transcript capabilities for CBE.C-BEN
• C-BEN's CBE CLR work: The Competency-Based Education Network has worked with institutions to standardize CBE transcripts/records using the CLR approach.C-BEN

So, architecturally, think:

Learner → competency/assessment engine → SIS/registrar → Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR)

This is especially useful for non-traditional learners because prior learning, demonstrated skills, microcredentials, and competency mastery can be represented rather than forcing everything into a conventional credit-hour/course model.C-BEN+1

One important distinction: CBE is the educational model; CLR is the record/exchange format. The U.S. Department of Education also distinguishes ordinary credit-hour CBE from direct-assessment CBE, where progress is determined directly by demonstrated mastery.U.S. Department of Education

If you're selecting an actual SIS/vendor, rather than asking about the record standard, I can compare the leading platforms that support CBE transcripts and CLR.

If you mean the academic-record/SIS layer, rather than an LMS, the key concept is a competency-based transcript / competency record.

A few systems/approaches are relevant:

• Jenzabar — its student information system explicitly supports CBE elements, including assigning competencies, grades, credits/hours, and displaying competencies on transcripts.Jenzabar Help
• Canvas + SIS/credential integration — Canvas can track competency mastery, while SIS/registrar infrastructure carries that competency data into the academic record.Instructure
• SmartScript / competency record — AACRAO describes a model where transcripts show competencies as “Mastered” or “In progress,” alongside the traditional academic record.AACRAO
• Dual-transcript model — particularly useful for non-traditional learners: the record shows demonstrated competencies and maps them to conventional course/credit equivalents for transfer and financial-aid purposes. California's CBE pilots use this approach.California Virtual Campus

One important distinction: CBE doesn't necessarily mean eliminating credit hours. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes both credit-hour CBE and direct-assessment CBE, where progress is determined by demonstrated mastery rather than time/credit hours. Even direct-assessment programs generally need a methodology for establishing credit-hour equivalents for regulatory and transfer purposes.U.S. Department of Education+1

So if you're selecting a system, I'd look for “competency-based academic records/transcripting” rather than simply “CBE LMS.” The critical capabilities are: competency-level attainment, mastery status, evidence/assessment, versioning, learning-outcome mappings, and a crosswalk to conventional credits/courses.onlinelibrary.wiley.com+1

To handle competency-based education (CBE) records and non-traditional transcripts, institutions use systems built around the 1EdTech Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) standard.1edtech.org+2

Instead of traditional seat-time credit hours and GPA scaling, a Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) —sometimes referred to in workforce contexts as a Learning and Employment Record (LER)—captures granular, verified skills, digital badges, and mastery milestones.c2c.ca.gov+3

Systems and Standards Supporting CLRs

System / Standard	Core Function	Best Suited For
Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR)	1EdTech digital standard for official, verifiable records combining courses, competencies, and co-curricular achievements.	Standardizing and sharing multi-modal competency data.
Mastery Transcript Platform	Specialized platform designed by the Mastery Transcript Consortium to visualize profiles of student proficiencies instead of traditional grades.	High schools and alternative pathways shifting away from GPAs.

How CLRs Replace Traditional Transcripts

• Granular Skill Tracking: Maps assessments directly to explicit competencies rather than averaging performance into a single letter grade.dreamclass.io+1
• Verifiable Digital Formats: Allows learners to share secure, interactive portfolios with employers or transfer institutions.1edtech.org+1
• Integration Layer: Pulls data dynamically from Learning Management Systems (LMS) and prior learning assessment (PLA) modules rather than just registrar gradebooks.imsglobal.org+1

If you'd like, I can:

Explain how to transition an existing SIS to support CLR standards Detail employer adoption trends for competency-based records Provide examples of institutions successfully using CLR