CCC ISTI 25-300-01 AI Literacy
Citation
Hayward, Craig, Vice Chancellor, AI Strategy and Digital Transformation. “Developing AI Literacy Across the California Community Colleges.” Memorandum ISTI 25-300-01. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Feb. 20, 2026. https://www.cccco.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ai-literacy-memo-a11y.pdf. Copy: raw/shared/2026-10-13 CCC ISTI 25-300 AI Literacy.md (original: .pdf beside it), fetched 2026-10-13. Read 2026-10-15.
The memo itself says “ISTI 25-300-01” (page 1). The later memo ISTI 25-300-02 also calls it “ISTI 25-300-01”.
Bottom line
- The CCC system has a written AI literacy standard: the PEOPLE framework, six competencies for all students, faculty and staff.
- It tells colleges to set up AI governance bodies and to use “AI sandboxes” before wide adoption.
- It need not invent one.
Background
The memo is the first in a series of CCC guidance on AI. It goes to college chief executives, instruction, student services, technology, business and human resources officers, and academic senate presidents. It ties AI literacy to the CCC “HUMANS principles” and to the CCC Vision 2030 framework.
Key claims
- AI literacy “includes the ability to use AI systems responsibly, evaluate their outputs critically, understand how they function, and recognize their ethical, social, and economic implications.” (p. 1, Background)
- Colleges are encouraged to “Establish or designate an AI governance body with cross-functional representation” and to “Utilize AI sandboxes for testing and evaluation before institution-wide adoption.” (p. 1, Institutional Actions)
- Colleges should “Ensure that all students, faculty, and staff have access to role-appropriate AI literacy training and resources.” (p. 2)
- The PEOPLE framework has six competencies: Prompt with Purpose; Ensure Ethics; Observe and Verify; Processor, not Person; Learn the Fundamentals; Evolve Continuously. (pp. 2 to 3)
- The memo says the competencies “provide a minimum standard of fundamental AI literacy” and draw on the MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI and the HUMANS framework. (p. 3)
- An AI microsite is “coming soon” as a hub for resources. (p. 2)
Evidence and method
This is guidance, not research. It gives no data on current AI literacy levels or on training uptake.
Limits
- No numbers: no count of colleges with a governance body, a sandbox or a training program.
- The memo is a recommendation to colleges. It does not require action.