Personal competencies--cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and social/emotional--are applied by students in learning (mastery of knowledge and skills). These competencies are both acquired through learning and applied in the learning process. Personalized learning--a promising approach to education made practical by advances in technology--magnifies the importance of personal competencies. Underlying the optimism about personalized learning is the belief that a student's desire to learn and effectiveness in learning are enhanced when the learning is personalized, meaning that the student is given greater choice in selecting topics, greater control over the learning environment and learning strategies, greater access to learning resources, and frequent feedback about learning progress. Placing the student in a more prominent role in learning only magnifies the importance of personal competencies. This report examines ways that personal competencies can be strengthened through school community, school culture, and the classroom. Templates for enhancing personal competencies in the design of the school's contexts are included in this report.