ISO/IEC 20006-2:2015

Information technology for learning, education and training - Information model for competency - Part 2: Proficiency level information model

ISO/IEC 20006-2:2015 provides an information model for competency proficiency and its level. Moreover, it presents several use cases that can be used by software developers, implementers, and architects of human resources systems and learning systems. These use cases will support management and exchange of competency information within information technology systems used for learning, education, and training. NOTE: This International Standard is based on work completed in ISO/IEC TR 24763.

Technologies de l'information pour l'apprentissage, l'éducation et la formation — Modèle d'information pour les compétences — Partie 2: Modèle d'information des niveaux de compétence

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 17-Mar-2015
• ICS: 03.100.30 - Management of human resources
• ICS: 35.240.90 - IT applications in education
• ICS: 35.240.99 - IT applications in other fields
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36 - Information technology for learning, education and training
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36/WG 3 - Learner information
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 02-Oct-2025
• Completion Date: 30-Oct-2025

Overview

ISO/IEC 20006-2:2015 defines an information model for competency proficiency and proficiency levels within information technology for learning, education and training (ITLET). Building on the Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) from ISO/IEC TR 24763, this part (Part 2) describes the semantic structures and use cases needed to represent, manage and exchange proficiency-level information across systems such as learning management systems (LMS), human resources information systems (HRIS) and national qualifications frameworks.

Key topics and technical scope

• Information model for proficiency and levels: formalizes how proficiency is represented (proficiency composition model, proficiency information model, level information model).
• Model elements covered (Clause 7 highlights): proficiency metrics, levelNumber, levelSequence, dimensionNumber, levelCriteria and related constructs that define levels and dimensions of proficiency.
• Use cases: practical scenarios for software developers, implementers and architects to support interoperability and system design.
• Conformance: proficiency and level information are conformant when they use the information model and item notation defined in the standard (linked to the CRM toolkit).
• Annex mappings: includes informative mappings to external frameworks (e.g., European Qualifications Framework - EQF, and Japanese ITSS) to support cross-framework interoperability.
• Exclusions and limits: the standard does not address security, authentication, privacy, accessibility, cultural/language adaptation, e‑profiles, evidence records, or assessment methods/metrics in depth.

Practical applications

• Enable interoperable exchange of competency and proficiency data between LMS, HR systems, national classification services and e-portfolio platforms.
• Support skill gap analysis and workforce development by providing a consistent model for level descriptors and metrics.
• Help system architects and developers design semantic data models that map local competency taxonomies to shared representations.
• Facilitate curriculum and assessment design by clarifying level definitions and criteria (without prescribing assessment methods).
• Aid analytics and reporting across organizations by standardizing how proficiency levels are represented.

Who should use this standard

• Software developers and systems integrators building HRIS, LMS, e-portfolio or competency management systems.
• Instructional designers, assessment designers and learning architects seeking consistent proficiency definitions.
• HR professionals and standards bodies aiming to align local frameworks with international models for skills interoperability.

Related standards and keywords

• Related: ISO/IEC 20006-1 (general competency framework), ISO/IEC 20006-3 (aggregation guidelines), ISO/IEC TR 24763 (CRM).
• SEO keywords: ISO/IEC 20006-2:2015, proficiency level information model, competency proficiency, competency information exchange, learning management system interoperability, HRIS skills model, CRM ISO/IEC TR 24763, skills framework interoperability.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 20006-2
First edition
2015-03-15
Information technology for learning,
education and training — Information
model for competency —
Part 2:
Proficiency level information model
Technologies de l’information pour l’apprentissage, l’éducation et la
formation — Modèle d’information pour les compétences —
Partie 2: Modèle d’information des niveaux de compétence
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2015
© ISO/IEC 2015
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
1.1 General . 1
1.2 Exclusions . 1
1.3 Areas not addressed . 2
2 Conformance . 2
3 Normative references . 2
4 Terms and definitions . 2
5 Symbols (and abbreviated terms) . 3
6 Relationship between proficiency and competency. 4
7 Proficiency level information model . 5
7.1 Proficiency composition model . 6
7.1.1 proficiencySequence. 8
7.1.2 proficiencyList . 9
7.2 Proficiency information model . 9
7.2.1 proficiencyMetrics .10
7.2.2 levelNumber .11
7.2.3 levelSequence .11
7.2.4 dimensionNumber .12
7.2.5 dimension .12
7.3 Level information model .13
7.3.1 levelMetrics .14
7.3.2 proficiencyInformation .15
7.3.3 levelPosition .15
7.3.4 levelDimensionNumber .16
7.3.5 levelDimension .17
7.3.6 levelCriteria .18
Annex A (informative) Application to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) .20
Annex B (informative) Application to Japanese National Skills Standard (ITSS) .24
Bibliography .29
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT), see the following URL: Foreword — Supplementary information.
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommitee
SC 36, Information technology for learning, education and training.
ISO/IEC 20006 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology for learning,
education and training — Information model for competency:
— Part 1: Competency general framework and information model
— Part 2: Proficiency level information model
The following parts are under preparation:
— Part 3: Guidelines for the aggregation of competency information and data
iv © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Introduction
From the late 1990s, some industrial and academic organizations have developed information
technology standards in the skills and competency domain, such as human resources, on a global level to
address the interoperability requirements and environment complexities of management and sharing
of competency information amongst different organizations. Some examples include work spearheaded
by the following organizations: the IMS Global Learning Consortium Inc., HR-XML Consortium, IEEE-
LTSC, OMG, CEN TC353, HRMLs, and also ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC36 itself. Some typical problems encountered
by stakeholders as well as ITLET systems dedicated to the management and exchange of competency
[1]
information and where these issues may be encountered are provided in examples below.
Example 1: Technical — Competency and associated information cannot always be selected and shared
between different ITLET systems (e.g. learning management, HR, and other related platforms).
Example 2: Organizational — Competency and associated information is not easily used in human
development activities, because skills and competency information may be detailed or expressed
differently in various ITLET systems (e.g. learning management, HR, national occupational classification,
and other related systems).
Example 3: Information exchange — Skills and competency proficiency information, such as individual
status or degrees acquired, cannot be shared easily amongst different ITLET systems (e.g. HR, learning
management, national occupational classification, and other related systems).
Example 4: Individual learner — Individual developmental learning, education, and training paths
cannot easily migrate or be exchanged amongst ITLET systems.
Example 5: Systems perspective (where systems include individuals, organizations, and the
technologies that support them) — Individuals and organizations cannot easily design and integrate
informal and formal learning, education, and training opportunities to support life goals, career
strategies, and career paths using existing common dimensions within ITLET systems.
Example 6: Practical analytics — The ability to access, extract, and analyse competency and associated
information can provide evidence as to whether learning, education, and training information needs are
being met in order to analyse lifelong learning, thus where competency information must be drawn
from different systems and where non-interoperable format and definitions are used.
Example 7: Assessment and evaluation — ITLET systems (e.g. acknowledgement and consideration
are needed regarding evaluation biases in human assessment, the use of varying methods and metrics
to evaluate human performance, and the need to conduct accurate skill gap analysis), where ITLET
systems that use different competency digital schema are involved.
Example 8: Overarching goals and outcomes — Human assessment and support for the development
of human potential requires ITLET systems that provide a more flexible, holistic integration, and
exchange of competency and associated information beyond individual learning opportunities, everyday
operation, and work performance.
Currently, organizations, such as schools, universities, institutes, and companies, use different ITLET
systems to support the use of learning content, to enable and enhance various learning activities, and
to provide other services. To meet their missions and goals, such organizations can rely on in-house
developers, others such as ITLET vendors or suppliers, or a combination of both to provide and operate
IT systems to support LET. This means ITLET operations and other organizational systems that deal
with skills and competency information, such as interrelated human resources (HR) information
systems, need to be interoperable to allow for communication between organizations, their employees,
and outsourcing ITLET providers or suppliers.
The purpose of this International Standard is to provide a framework, models, system architecture
used for competency and proficiency information, and a way to aggregate competency information.
ISO/IEC 20006-1 International Standard will provide a general framework and information model
to manage and exchange information about knowledge, skills, ability, attitude, and educational
objectives. Especially, this part ISO/IEC 20006 will focus on extending the concepts contained within
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved v

ISO/IEC TR 24763 by providing more detailed information regarding competency information and
its information aggregation. This International Standard can be used by software developers and
implementers, instructional designers and test designers, and others to ensure that learning, education,
and training environments satisfy learners’ and organizations’ competency needs. ISO/IEC 20006-3 will
provide definitions of several types of competency information aggregation, which will provide guidance
for all stakeholders to better understand and support the development of interoperable systems that
will enable competency information exchange.
vi © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 20006-2:2015(E)
Information technology for learning, education and
training — Information model for competency —
Part 2:
Proficiency level information model
1 Scope
1.1 General
This part of ISO/IEC 20006 provides an information model for competency proficiency and its level.
Moreover, it presents several use cases that can be used by software developers, implementers, and
architects of human resources systems and learning systems. These use cases will support management
and exchange of competency information within information technology systems used for learning,
education, and training.
NOTE This International Standard is based on work completed in ISO/IEC TR 24763.
This International Standard includes the following parts:
— ISO/IEC 20006-1, Information technology for learning, education and training — Information model
for competency — Part 1: Competency general framework and information model
— ISO/IEC 20006-2, Information technology for learning, education and training — Information model
for competency — Part 2: Proficiency level information model
— ISO/IEC 20006-3, Information technology for learning, education and training — Information model
for competency — Part 3: Guidelines for aggregations of competency information and data
This part of ISO/IEC 20006 provides an information model used to express the semantics of competency
proficiency and its level and can be used to support the management and exchange of competency
information amongst information technology systems for learning, education, and training. This part
of ISO/IEC 20006 provides
— information model for expressing semantics of competency proficiency and its levels, and
— use cases used to support the development of the competency proficiency level information model.
ISO/IEC 200006-1 provides a framework, information model and use cases to support the management
and exchange of competency information. ISO/IEC 20006-3 provides guidelines regarding the
aggregation of competency information and data.
1.2 Exclusions
The scope of this part of ISO/IEC 20006 does not include an in-depth technical review of issues related to:
— adaptability to culture, language, and human functions;
— although intended to support, this part of ISO/IEC 20006 does not replace the requirement for
regional, transnational, and international agreements relating to the equivalencies of representations
of competency proficiency and its associated levels;
— security;
— authentication;
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 1

— privacy;
— accessibility.
1.3 Areas not addressed
This part of ISO/IEC 20006 currently does not address the following items:
— e-Profiles, which are a set of records that pertain to an individual (e.g. personnel records, student
information system records);
— evidence information;
— assessment methods and metrics information.
2 Conformance
The objective of this part of ISO/IEC 20006 is to support the management and exchange of competency
information in a way that will promote and improve interoperability and integration. The proficiency
level information model is based on the Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and
Related Objects (CRM) (defined by ISO/IEC TR 24763). The CRM provides a toolkit that can be used
to abstract and identify concepts used within IT systems to support the management and exchange
of competency information across different HR, learning, education, and training contexts. This part
of ISO/IEC 20006 builds upon the conceptual and abstract focus of ISO/IEC TR 24763 to provide an
information model for proficiency or its associated levels and use cases.
To support competency management and development, competency information needs to be structured
and described consistently to promote understanding, mutual communication, and agreement.
Competency related information should be detailed in a way that is semantically robust and extensible.
For the purposes of this part of ISO/IEC 20006, proficiency and level information are conformant if it
uses the corresponding information model and the appropriate item notation as provided in Clause 7.
A conforming notation may contain information items that are based on ISO/IEC TR 24763. In other words,
it is intended to be extensible and can contain additional information elements of ISO/IEC TR 24763. For
information about conformance to ISO/IEC TR 24763, classes associated with a proficiency level in CRM
competency are indicated with the following notation [En] where n = a number that refers to a class
defined in ISO/IEC TR 24763 to assist with understanding the linkages and relationships between the
CRM and this part of ISO/IEC 20001. For example, as noted in ISO/IEC 24763:2011, E1 = Action, E2 =
Actor, E3 = Competency, and so on.
3 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 19796-3, Information technology — Learning, education and training. Quality management,
assurance and metrics. Part 3: Method and metrics
ISO/IEC 20006-1, Information technology — Learning, education and training. Information model for
competency. Part 1: General framework and information model
ISO/IEC TR 24763, Information technology — Learning, education and training. Conceptual reference
model for competency information and related objects
4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2 © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

4.1
formal
expressed in a restricted syntax language with defined semantics based on well-established mathematical
concepts or standardized formats
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 15408-1:2009, 3.1.35]
4.2
informal
expressed in natural language
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 15408-1:2009, 3.1.35]
4.3
level
position as assessed using criteria and method to determine amount, intensity,
extent, or the like
4.4
level sequence
ordinal value set of proficiency or levels in a competency
Note 1 to entry: The sequence can be of several types, such as: nominally expressed steps as ordinal degree,
numbered steps as ordinal degree (increasing or decreasing), continuance as interval scale or ratio scale by
number, structured data type (SDT) (e.g. pass or not). All of these different ways can be used to express concept
of competency proficiency or a set of competency levels.
4.5
proficiency
competency related concepts that are used to identify amount, level or degree of
a competency by judgment or measurement
Note 1 to entry: OED defines proficiency as a skill, a talent; (now freq.) a certain standard of skill acquired after a
period of education or training.
Note 2 to entry: Proficiency can be used to ascertain or to identify progress, advancement or improvement in a
competency, such as skill, knowledge, and other competency-related concepts.
5 Symbols (and abbreviated terms)
CRM Conceptual Reference Model
EQF European Qualifications Framework
HRIS Human Resources Information System
HRM Human Resources Management
HR-XML The HR-XML Consortium
HRMLs The Society for Human Resources Markup Language
IMS RDCEO IMS GLC Inc. Reusable Definition of Competency or Educational Objective Specification
info. Information
ITLET Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training
ITSS Skill Standards for IT professionals; The Japanese National Skills Standard
LMS Learning Management System
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 3

Mgt Management
PM Project Management
RDF Resource Description Framework
SDT Structured Data Type
SIS Student Information System
TOEIC Test of English for International Communication
6 Relationship between proficiency and competency
ISO/IEC 20006-2 provides proficiency and level information models and use cases to demonstrate how
proficiency and its levels may be described in an IT system that is being used to manage and exchange
information regarding this aspect of human competency. Through use cases, examples of semantic
expressions that are used to describe proficiency and level sequences and structures were extracted.
Then commonalities regarding the various structures were identified. The resulting proficiency and
level information models provided below in Clause 7 indicate how proficiency and level information
regarding individuals’ competencies may be expressed within an IT system.
Proficiency level information has several direct relationships with entities in the competency information
architecture that is detailed in ISO/IEC 20006-1:2014, 6.2. Proficiency and level information may
reside in different types of systems, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), Human Resources
Information Systems (HRIS), Student Information Systems (SIS), etc. Also, it may be expressed in
various ways within these different systems, making it challenging to exchange and share these
types of information (Figure 1). For this reason, it is crucial to consider separately how competency
information and proficiency or level information are expressed in IT systems. For instance, the value
set or proficiency and levels sequence of the competencies “statistical skill” and “communication skill”
th
that is at the 4 level or degree within an IT system could be expressed as “needs help”, “independent”,
“automatically demonstrates”, and “can teach others”, depending on how it has been defined. On the
other hand, a definition of “communication skill” could be assessed by an examination and human
assessment completed by a boss, and could have only two proficiency values as possible value options
for the examination (e.g. “pass” or “fail”) and five proficiency values as possible value options for the
performance review completed by the assessor for the human assessment. These examples highlight
the importance of ensuring that competency information and proficiency and level information should
be considered separately.
Figure 1 — Relationship between competency and proficiency
4 © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Competency information may be structured or organized as a hierarchy. Mapping with the CRM for
competency, proficiency level information would be considered as part of the class “[E3] competency”
as described in ISO/IEC TR 24763. Competency information may consist of child competencies and each
child competency may have its own proficiency level sequence (e.g. be divided into different levels). For
st nd rd
example, competency (X) might be defined and comprise of competency (X) 1 , 2 , and 3 levels. For
example, in the case of a “social skill”, the child competency “communication skill” could be a requirement
st
for someone who is at the 1 level and the child competency “negotiation skill” might be required for
nd
someone at the 2 level. The child competencies may each be described using different levels. For
example the child competency “communication skill” could be described using 2 levels (“pass” or “fail).
The child competency “negotiation skill” could be described using 5 levels (“exceptional”, “exceeds
expectations”, “meets expectations”, “improvement needed”, “unsatisfactory”). The competency
and child competencies in this example could be labelled differently in various IT systems. Also, the
proficiency levels could be structured in a variety of ways across different IT systems. This is one of the
reasons why it is helpful to define proficiency level distinctly from competency information.
There may be other aspects that impact on how proficiency level is expressed within an IT system. It is
possible that other classes of information as defined in the competency CRM (in ISO/IEC TR 24763) could
be used to indicate proficiency and level. For example, an individual who has no difficulty communicating
with other individuals in an organization might be considered to have a higher proficiency and level
with regard to “communication skill” compared to an individual who has difficulty communicating with
other individuals in an organization but can communicate with no issue with their good friends. In this
case, the proficiency level of “communication skill” may be defined using the classes “[E1] action” or
“[E8] outcome”. Also, in this example the difference could be specified according to different competency
information associated with the class “[E4] criteria and method” and “[E2] actor”.
Thus it is helpful to ensure that the variety of ways that proficiency and level information is expressed
in IT systems is made explicit to support management and exchange of this aspect of competency
information. The next clause provides a competency proficiency and level information model that can
assist with communicating about this type of information.
7 Proficiency level information model
The proficiency level information model comprises 3 components as noted below and in Figure 2,
Type A, proficiency composition model (7.1), which is used to define the whole concept for a proficiency
or a unit of levels as a highest or abstract conception. It is used, only if a proficiency or a unit of levels is
composed of more than two different aspects or stages.
Type B, proficiency information model (7.2), which is used to express and implement one unit of levels.
Type C, level information model (7.3), which is used to express and implement one level in a set of
ordinal levels.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 5

Figure 2 — Relationship among the proficiency composition model, the proficiency information
model and the level information model
7.1 Proficiency composition model
The proficiency composition model is used to describe the structure of the proficiency. It includes the
attributes that are used as labels within an IT system (e.g. id, name, description). It also includes two
items, the proficiencySequence and the proficiencyList. The proficiencySequence is used to describe
aspects of the proficiency that is being represented. These aspects are at a high level of abstraction. So,
for example, for the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the proficiencySequence would include
three main items (i.e., knowledge levels, skill levels, and competency levels). Additional information
regarding the proficiencyList item would be included as attributes (e.g. id, name, description). The
structure of the proficiency composition model is provided below in Figure 3.
There are many different types of competency information and rating structures. Some examples are
provided below.
a) Single rating scale (e.g. ascending or descending): where an individual would be assigned a specific
value on a scale that is either ascending (e.g. 1 – 10) or descending (10 – 1).
b) License or certificate: where a person takes a license or certificate exam and possibly participates in
LET activities. In such cases, it is possible that the coursework and/or exam would be either “pass”
or “fail”. This type of rating structure may be used for professionals, tradespeople, and others.
c) Educational attainment/credential/state: where proficiency and levels are given names, for
instance, bachelor, master, and Ph.D., or junior class and senior class.
6 © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

d) Tiered rating system/scale (e.g. inverse, multi, etc.): some proficiency representations have different
tiers of rating scales. For example, taking into account a national education system, there can be several
distinctions for students who progress through the system (e.g. kindergarten, primary, junior, senior,
university, and post-graduate). There are also other cases that demonstrate tiered rating scales. For
example, “Judo” or other Japanese traditional training systems have two different continuances of
th st
level sequence, that is “Kyu (class)”, and “Dan (stage)”. “Kyu” has a continuance from 10 to 1 . “Dan”
st th
begins at 1 and goes to 9 . When a person achieves a lower number in the “Kyu” continuance, it
means that the person is more skilled. On the other hand, a lower number for the “Dan” continuance
th
means that a person is less skilled. The flows of possible attainment for an individual from “10 Kyu”
st st th
to “1 Kyu”, and from “1 Dan to 9 Dan” are termed continuances, and the continuance is applied to
all individuals who attain that level of skill. The continuance is used consistently across all individuals
and never changes the order of the skill that is being described. If it were to be expressed within an
IT system, this case instance could include a potential of “19” possible grades. However, within an IT
system it would be very useful to allow for a combination of 2 different grades to express individuals’
skill levels, as the attribution of “composition” allows for the combination of 2 or more continuances,
which can be helpful to understand the actual skill level attained.
e) Parallel rating scales: skill certifications used by the Japan ski association are more complex.
Individual skiers may be ranked from 5 to 1. The lower numbers indicate that the skiers are more
st st
skilled. “1 rank” is the highest level for normal skiers. If a skier passes “1 rank”, he/she can take test
st
for higher levels. Above the “1 rank”, there are two ways to be recognized as an expert skiers. One
is the license for ski instructors. There are two levels for the instructor license, “Associate instructor
license” and “Formal instructor license”. The other one is the prize certifications for superior ski
experts. There are also two levels for practical high level technique, “Technical prize” and “Crown
prize”. Both the licenses and the prize certifications need high level techniques, the former requires
varied ski-control techniques, the later requests practical and competitive techniques. This means
that there are two sequences for proficiency and level in parallel.
Considering the above examples, if a whole proficiency schema is constructed by only numbered order, or
SDT (Structured Data Type), the schema can be defined clearly. However, if the data types are qualitative
or complex (such as nominal type, combination type, parallel), additional information may be needed
because one proficiency schema may be based on multiple underlying schemas. To develop competency
expressions of this type that can be more easily shared across IT systems, a composition model for
proficiency is used (see Figure 3). If proficiency information consists of or is expressed by only one level
sequence or SDT (in other words it is structured in a simple and straightforward manner), then the
additional attributes and elements for proficiency composition may not be required.
As noted above, the proficiency composition model consists of attributes and elements and can be
used to express multiple different proficiency level sequences and structures. Attributes consist of
indispensible information for identification (e.g. id, name, and description), which can be used for the
simplest implementations. Other attributes and elements can be added according to other specifications,
such as RDF, IMS RDCEO, HR-XML competencies and so on.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 7

Figure 3 — Proficiency composition model
7.1.1 proficiencySequence
This information item indicates the combination of multiple proficiency or sets of levels as sequence
using id or name of proficiency information. The order of level sequence in proficiency is expressed by
numbers, smaller number is less advanced stage, and same numbers means parallel (see Example).
EXAMPLE
Table 1 — Information modelling examples of proficiencySequence
Information modelling Supplement
TOEIC —  {1:listening, 1:reading} These are tagged by ―”1:” in the front. This
means these are two components of the
competency.
EQF —  {1:eqf_knowledge, 1:eqf_skill, 1:eqf_compe- Same as above, in this case there are potentially
tency} (see Annex A) three components of the competency.
ITSS —  {1:careerLevel, 1:skillLevel}
Judo —  {1:kyu, 2:dan} “2:” means upper level to “1:”
Ski —  {1:skiSkillTest, 2:skiPrizeTest, 2:skiInstruc- Same as above in the Judo example.
torLicense}
Note 1 TOEIC; Test of English for International Communication
Note 2 EQF; European Qualifications Framework — In the case of EQF (see Annex A), EQF_01 means a set of
knowledge levels, EQF_02 means a set of skill levels and EQF_03 means a set of competency levels. Whole concept
of EQF consists of these three sets of levels. And all these 3 are tagged by “1:” in the front. This means these three
ones are same stage.
Note 3 ITSS; Skill Standards for IT Professionals
Note 4 Judo; Kodokan Judo Institute
Note 5 Ski; Ski Association of Japan
8 © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

7.1.2 proficiencyList
This informational element indicates list of different sequential patterns of proficiency or sets of levels. If
terms of proficiency concepts or concepts of sets of levels are indicated value in item of “proficiencyList”,
this information should be listed as items in order to refer to the item of “proficiencyList” (see Example).
EXAMPLE
Table 2 — Information modelling examples of proficiencyList
Information modelling Supplement
TOEIC —  {listening} All bullet points should be set as parts, and each item can
have id, name, and description.
—  {reading}
EQF —  {eqf_knowledge}
—  {eqf_skill}
—  {eqf_competency}
ITSS —  {itssCareerLevel}
—  {itssSkillLevel}
Judo —  {kyu}
—  {Dan}
Ski —  {skiSkillTest}
—  {skilPriseTest}
—  {skiInstructorLicense}
7.2 Proficiency information model
Proficiency information model can be adapted to illustrate a concept of proficiency in/for a competency.
This information model is represented below as a class diagram. This model is adapted to an actual
whole concept of proficiency as an object diagram.
This proficiency information model consists of attributes and items (Figure 4). Attributes consist of
several items of indispensable information for identification. This document indicates only id, name, and
description for the simplest implementation. But some other attributes can be added according to other
standards and specifications. Additional attributes can be added according to other specifications, as
the proficiency information model (as well as other aspects of this approach) are extensible.
The items of proficiency information are the main targets of this standard. The item of “metrics”
indicates characteristics of a proficiency or a set of level schema. Four items for proficiency or a set of
levels are set in metrics item, “level number”, “level sequence”, “dimension number”, and “dimension”.
“Dimension” is listed together with “dimension number”. If the value of the number or level is 5, then 5
items of dimension are required and should be made explicit.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 9

Figure 4 — Proficiency information model
7.2.1 proficiencyMetrics
The proficiencyMetrics in the proficiency information model are used to specify differentiation in the
competency proficiency and level of learners, trainees, students, etc. The metrics information is used to
help specify and assess what or how competency proficiency and its level are measured (e.g. for grade,
degree, level, etc.). A proficiencyMetrics item provides information of level number pattern, including
the number of levels and the relationship(s) amongst the level numbers (see Example).
The proficiencyMetrics also provide information from a viewpoint of differences of proficiency and
set(s) of levels. Proficiency is divided into some levels, so a dimension is needed for segmentation, and
is also useful to identify the meaning of each level, and to evaluate and assess human performance. This
dimension may be named in different ways in various contexts, such as factors, assessment elements or
criteria. It also has two items, “dimension number” and “dimension”. It may not be easy to elicit and to
define the metrics being used, because more detailed information related to the metrics that are being
used may be hidden or implicit, and complex.
EXAMPLE
Table 3 — Information modelling examples of proficiencyMetrics
Information modelling example Supplement
TOEIC listening —  {listeningMetric} It is under {(TOEIC)listening} as
proficiencyInformation
EQF knowledge —  {eqf_knowledgeMetric} It is under {eqf_knowledge} as
proficiencyInformation
ITSS career —  {careerLevelMetric} It is under {itssCareerLevel} as
proficiencyInformation
Judo kyu —  {kyuMetric} It is under {kyu} as
proficiencyInformation
Ski prize —  {skilPrizeMetric} It is under {skilPrizeTest} as
proficiencyInformation
10 © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

7.2.2 levelNumber
The levelNumber expresses the total number of levels or segmentations. An integer could be used to
indicate nominal segmentation if required. This information usually permits one value. If a proficiency
level schema has several sequences, each sequence should be defined for each information model. If
its proficiency levels consist in stages from “level 1” to “level 5”, the number of levels is “5”. In the case
of nominal segmentations, such as “junior” and “senior”, the number of levels is “2”. SDT data, such as
“pass” or “not pass” (or “fail”) could be expressed as “1” or “0”.
In the case of the previous example of TOEIC, this could be expressed as “continuous” and a range of
numbers could be provided (e.g. 5-495; see Example).
Some types of information, such as the TOEIC listening score, the proficiency can be expressed in
different ways, such as nominal proficiency levels, such as level E to level A, instead of “continuance”.
The label “level E” includes the range of scores from 5 –109, “level D” includes the range from 110 – 234,
“level C” includes the range from 235 – 314, and so on. Then multiplicity is needed.
EXAMPLE
Table 4 — Information modelling examples of levelNumber
Information modelling example Supplement
TOEIC listening —  {continuance} or {5-495} {5}
EQF knowledge —  {8}
ITSS career —  {7} ITSS defines many jobs, and each job is modelled
and involves set data. In this and below tables,
ITSS career means a specific job, PM; IT project
manager.
Judo kyu —  {10}
Ski prize —  {2}
7.2.3 levelSequence
This information is created according to the level number. If the level number is “5”, five data might
be produced in this item. This identifies the titles of each level and sequence. The lowest, weakest, or
minimum level as inexpertness or needs improvement (in other words the lowest skill level) should be
listed first, and the highest, strongest, or maximum level as expert or highly proficient (in other words the
highest skill level) should be listed last. The sequence information is important to share and understand
level concept and data. The listed terms in this item can be a set described and directly connected to a
level information model (7.3) as children of proficiency information model. For a continuous data range,
this level might be expressed by a number within the range. Some examples are provided below (see
Examples 1 and 2).
EXAMPLE 1
For nominal sequenced category
st nd rd
Case 1: stage 1 , stage 2 , stage 3
Case 2: beginner, intermediate, expert
Case 3: level 0, level 1, level 2,.level 7
For nominal SDT
Case 4: no rank, certification
For continuous numbering
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 11

Case 5: Total TOEIC score (listening and reading); [10 – 990]
EXAMPLE 2
Table 5 — Information modelling examples of levelSequence
Information modelling example Supplement
TOEIC listening —  {5-495} continuous numbering
EQF knowledge —  {level 1, level 2, level 3, level 4, level 5, level 6, level 7, level 8} nominal sequenced
category
ITSS career —  {level 1, level 2, level 3, level 4, level 5, level 6, level 7} nominal sequenced
category
tht th th th th th th
Judo kyu —  {10 kyu, 9 kyu, 8 kyu, 7 kyu, 6 kyu, 5 kyu, 4 kyu, nominal sequenced
rd nd st
3 kyu, 2 kyu, 1 kyu} category
Ski prize —  {technical prize, crown prize} nominal sequenced
category
7.2.4 dimensionNumber
The dimensionNumber item is used to specify the differences among a set of proficiency levels. In other
words, it can be stated as viewpoints, factors or criteria. This information is the number of condition
statements used for measuring and assessing competency proficiency. Sometimes this dimension is
unclear or hidden. When it is transparent and clear, dimension information might be expressed. For
assessing human competency or specifying difference of levels, several dimensions are used. This is a
statement wit
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