The growing demand for computer science teachers amid a specialist shortage has led to an increase in the number of qualification programs for non-specialist teachers.

These programs face the challenge of addressing diverse target groups: teachers teaching outside their subject specialization require appropriate qualification offerings, while STEM professionals need pedagogical training to transition into teaching. Primary education adds further complexity through its generalist model, where teachers instruct multiple subjects. These target groups vary significantly in their computer science knowledge, pedagogical expertise, and professional experience.

Against the backdrop of this diversity, a critical research question emerges: What professional and scientific competencies must non-specialist teachers possess for teaching computer science at the primary to secondary education transition, and how should effective and sustainable training programs be designed? The lack of standardization in such qualification measures motivated the evidence-based design principles for computer science teacher training.

Drawing on the TPACK model, research in general pedagogics and computer science education revealed that teachers require both computing and pedagogical computing knowledge to effectively teach computer science.

Through analysis of national and international curricula, standards, and recommendations, subject-specific and pedagogical competencies for computer science instruction at the primary-secondary transition were identified. Additionally, research uncovered specific challenges faced by lower secondary computer science teachers, such as professional isolation and technological infrastructure issues.

The article presents design principles, recommended competencies, a training concept and initial findings from an ongoing evaluation study.

Keywords: Teacher competencies, teacher training, teacher education, primary school, secondary school.