Overview
- Beginning with pupils enrolled in 2026/27, primary schools will use semi-written division instead of the fully formal algorithm, with grades 3–4 switching by 2027/28.
- The ministry says the update follows 2022 KMK standards and that the full written procedure will be taught in Sekundarstufe I.
- Teacher associations and opposition figures warn of lowered standards and potential difficulties at the transition to secondary school.
- Mathematics didacticians and the Landeselternrat support the shift, saying it fosters number sense and streamlines classroom time.
- States take different paths: Saxony will retain written division in grade 4, Bremen is reported to be following Niedersachsen’s approach, and decimals in early grades will be largely limited to money examples.