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An AI literacy framework describes what students should know, be able to do and value in order to understand, use and question artificial intelligence. A major international framework for schools is the AILit Framework, published in final form on June 18, 2026, by the European Commission and the OECD with support from CodeAI (formerly Code.org). It organizes AI literacy into four domains and 19 competences and will inform the PISA 2029 assessment of media and AI literacy. This guide explains the AILit Framework, compares it with other models, and sets out what adopting a framework asks of teachers.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
Many students already use AI tools, often before their schools have a policy. AI literacy frameworks give districts a shared language for what students should learn about AI, separate from which tools they are allowed to use.
The AILit Framework draws a line that matters for planning: using AI tools is not the same as being AI literate. Its competences cover engaging with AI critically, creating with it responsibly, managing how and when it is used, and shaping how AI systems work and could be improved. For districts, the practical question is teacher capacity: in a 2026 Gallup survey, just 18 percent of K-12 teachers said they received formal guidance on AI use, and a framework adds expectations without adding time.
Key Takeaways
- The AILit Framework was published in final form in June 2026 by the European Commission and the OECD, with CodeAI.
- It has four domains: Engage with AI, Create with AI, Manage AI and Shape AI.
- Its 19 competences each combine knowledge, skills and attitudes, with learning scenarios for primary and secondary education.
- More than 2,000 people from over 100 countries gave feedback on the May 2025 draft.
- It will inform the PISA 2029 Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy assessment.
- Other widely used references include UNESCO’s AI competency frameworks, Digital Promise’s AI Literacy Framework and AI4K12’s Five Big Ideas.
What District Leaders Need to Know
- AI literacy is not tool training. A framework describes understanding and judgment, not proficiency with a product.
- It is cross-curricular. The AILit Framework is designed to be taught across subjects, not only in computer science.
- Teachers need preparation. Adopting a framework without professional development shifts the burden onto teachers.
- Policy and literacy go together. A district AI policy says what is allowed; AI literacy helps students understand why.
- International benchmarks are coming. PISA 2029 will measure media and AI literacy for the first time.
Funding Options
| Funding source | Eligible uses | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Title IV, Part A | Effective use of technology, digital literacy, well-rounded education | Formula grant |
| Title II, Part A | Teacher PD on AI literacy and AI policy | Formula grant |
| Title III, Part A | Supplemental PD on AI and English Learners | Formula grant; supplement, not supplant |
See what Title II funds can be used for.
District Benchmark
A district of 5,000 students and 350 teachers that adopts an AI literacy framework across subjects needs every teacher to teach at least some competences. If each teacher receives 10 hours of preparation, that is 3,500 hours of professional learning, before any curriculum writing. Planning that time is the real cost of adoption.
What Is the AILit AI Literacy Framework?
Definition. The AILit Framework, titled “Empowering Learners for the Age of AI”, is an AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education developed by the European Commission and the OECD with support from CodeAI and international experts. It defines the competences learners need to engage with, create with, manage and shape AI.
| Domain | What students learn to do |
|---|---|
| Engage with AI | Recognize AI in everyday life and evaluate its outputs critically |
| Create with AI | Use AI as a creative partner while keeping human agency |
| Manage AI | Divide work intentionally between people and AI, deciding what to delegate |
| Shape AI | Understand how AI systems work and how they could be improved to reflect human values |
The framework presents the domains in sequence as a possible learning progression and supports each competence with learner expectations and learning scenarios. A draft with 22 competences was released in May 2025; the final version has 19.
Other AI Literacy Frameworks
| Framework | Publisher | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| AILit Framework | European Commission, OECD, CodeAI | K-12 learner competences, four domains |
| AI competency frameworks for students and teachers | UNESCO | Competences for learners and for teachers |
| AI Literacy Framework | Digital Promise | Understanding, using and evaluating AI |
| Five Big Ideas in AI | AI4K12 | Core concepts of how AI works, by grade band |
The AILit Framework draws on several of these, so districts already using one will find overlap.
What an AI Literacy Framework Asks of Teachers
- Understand the basics of how AI systems produce outputs and why they make mistakes.
- Model critical use, checking AI output in front of students.
- Teach responsible use within the district’s policy.
- Design assessments that make the learning process visible.
- Address equity, including how AI tools work less well for some languages and accents.
For English Learners, AI literacy has a language dimension. Machine translation and speech recognition are uneven across languages, and AI detectors have misclassified writing by non-native English speakers. Teaching students to question AI output protects them as much as it informs them. See AI detectors for teachers.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Consider a middle school that maps four AILit competences to existing units: evaluating AI-generated summaries in English, testing a chatbot’s math explanations, discussing AI image generation in art and debating rules for AI in social studies. Teachers would take a short course first, and students could later complete an Hour of AI activity during Computer Science Education Week, December 7-13, 2026.
Common Mistakes
- Equating AI literacy with learning a specific tool.
- Assigning AI literacy to computer science teachers only.
- Adopting a framework without teacher preparation.
- Ignoring how AI tools perform differently across languages.
- Writing AI policy and AI literacy plans separately.
Recommended Actions
Immediate (this month)
- Choose a reference framework and share it with curriculum leaders.
- Check which teachers have had any AI training.
Medium-Term (this year)
- Map a few competences to existing units in several subjects.
- Provide teacher PD before student instruction begins.
Long-Term (strategy)
- Align AI literacy with your district AI policy and acceptable use rules.
- Track student AI literacy as PISA 2029 approaches.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- Which AI literacy framework, if any, guides our curriculum?
- How many teachers feel prepared to teach AI literacy?
- Does our AI policy match what we teach students about AI?
- How do we address AI’s limits for English Learners?
FAQ
What is an AI literacy framework?
A structured description of the knowledge, skills and attitudes learners need to understand, use and evaluate artificial intelligence.
What is the AILit Framework?
An AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education from the European Commission and the OECD, published in final form in June 2026, with four domains and 19 competences.
What are the four domains of AI literacy?
In the AILit Framework: Engage with AI, Create with AI, Manage AI and Shape AI.
Is AI literacy the same as using AI tools?
No. The AILit Framework stresses that using AI tools does not by itself build AI literacy, which requires understanding how AI works and judging when and how to use it.
Will PISA measure AI literacy?
Yes. PISA 2029 will include a Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy assessment, which the AILit Framework informs.
How can teachers build AI literacy?
Start from a framework such as AILit rather than from a list of tools: learn how AI systems produce outputs and why they make mistakes, practice checking AI output, and use the tools only within the district’s AI policy. Teachers then model that critical use in front of students and design assessments that make the learning process visible.
>Related Resources- AI for Teachers
- AI Grading for Teachers
- AI Safety in Schools
- The School District AI Ban in New York City and Los Angeles
- Professional Development Topics for Teachers
Conclusion
An AI literacy framework gives a district a clear statement of what students should understand about AI, beyond which tools they may use. The AILit Framework offers a detailed, internationally reviewed version. Its success in any district will depend on whether teachers get the preparation to teach it.
Sources: AILit Framework (European Commission, OECD, CodeAI); European Commission, final framework announcement, June 18, 2026; European Commission, launch of the draft framework, May 2025; KI-Campus, AI Literacy Framework published, June 2026; OECD, PISA 2029 Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy; UNESCO, AI competency framework for students; UNESCO, AI competency framework for teachers; Digital Promise, AI Literacy framework; AI4K12, Five Big Ideas in AI; Gallup, Most Teachers Receive No Formal Guidance on AI Use, May 2026; Computer Science Teachers Association, CSEdWeek 2026.
The Teacher Asked to Teach What She Was Never Taught
A teacher is handed an AI literacy framework in August and asked to weave it into her units, though she has never had training on AI herself. We ask teachers to model critical use of tools that change every few months, for students who range from expert users to newcomers meeting these tools in a second language.
Some districts are starting with teachers before students: short, sustained learning on what AI does well and badly, applied in real lessons. Telo AI’s 15-hour course for whole school staffs, AI for Every Teacher, is one example. Over eight weeks, four core modules start with AI foundations, safety and privacy and a class AI-use agreement. Each teacher then takes a two-module track for their grade band, English Learners or school leadership, with three live sessions and three classroom cycles in their own classroom.
Students learn to question AI from teachers who have had the chance to question it first.
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