The Analytical Report “Teacher AI Competency Frameworks” was developed within UNESCO IITE–Shanghai Open University joint project “Promoting ICT Capacity Building and Open Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies”. This report seeks to support policymakers by providing the analysis of existing teacher AI competency frameworks regarding AI literacy, implementation scenarios and methods of evaluation and assessment, and offering evidence-based recommendations for the design of national frameworks that promote consistent high-quality teacher development in AI.
The study presents a comprehensive overview of publicly available frameworks issued by national education authorities, international policy organisations and by research. Thirty-six national, institutional and academic frameworks were systematically analysed to assess their focus on developing teachers’ AI competency, implementation scenarios, and evaluation methodologies. This report highlights and acknowledges the frameworks that support the development of pedagogically grounded, curriculum-aligned teacher competence for AI.
The analysis is organized in four steps: 1) Presenting aspects of teachers’ AI competency as covered by research and current practice; 2) Discussing implementation scenarios, which includes coordinated efforts at several levels of the education system, including strategic (policy), tactical (curricula, regulation, supportive actions) and operational (teaching); 3) Discussing approaches to evaluating AI competence levels of teachers; and 4) Developing recommendations on the design of teachers’ AI competency frameworks.
The publication outlines critical elements of AI that learners must understand and that teachers must be equipped to teach, examines how various frameworks address the pedagogical content required to build AI literacy in educational settings. By equipping educators with the appropriate skills and resources to use AI confidently and purposefully, we can foster an educational ecosystem that supports critical reasoning, creativity, and inclusive learning.
Conclusion presents a checklist with key elements of a comprehensive framework for developing teachers’ AI competency and recommends actions towards implementing such a framework. The report offers an evidence base to inform targeted, actionable recommendations aimed at guiding the implementation of national frameworks for AI competency in teacher education. In addition, the Annex presents in detail the teacher AI competency frameworks examined in this report.