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Acing the Test: Educational Effects of the SaberEs Test Preparation Program in Colombia

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  • Christian Posso
  • Estefanía Saravia
  • Pablo Uribe

Abstract

Education in Colombia and Latin America is characterized by significant gaps in the quality of education as measured by standardized test scores. This paper assesses the impact of a Colombian program called SaberEs, which strengthens preparation for standardized cognitive tests such as the high school exit exam in Colombia (Saber 11 ) for low socioeconomic status students. The program provides competency-based training sessions to develop skills for analyzing and solving specific types of questions within school hours. Our difference-in-differences estimates show that SaberEs increased Saber 11 scores by 2.22 ranks (or 0.074 standard deviations), which implies that the socioeconomic achievement gap was reduced by 23% regarding the control schools. Also, students affected by the program experienced a significant increase in access to tertiary education and merit-based scholarships in Colombia. **** RESUMEN: La educación en Colombia y América Latina se caracteriza por brechas significativas en la calidad de la educación medida por los resultados de pruebas estandarizadas. Este trabajo evalúa el impacto de un programa colombiano llamado SaberEs, que fortalece la preparación para pruebas cognitivas estandarizadas como el examen de egreso de bachillerato en Colombia (Saber 11) para estudiantes de bajo nivel socioeconómico. El programa ofrece sesiones de entrenamiento basadas en competencias para desarrollar habilidades para analizar y resolver tipos específicos de preguntas dentro del horario escolar. Nuestras estimaciones de diferencia en diferencias muestran que SaberEs aumentó los puntajes de Saber 11 en 2,22 rankings (o 0,074 desviaciones estándar), lo que implica que la brecha de rendimiento socioeconómico se redujo en un 23 % con respecto a las escuelas de control. Asimismo, los estudiantes afectados por el programa experimentaron un aumento significativo en el acceso a la educación terciaria y a las becas por mérito en Colombia.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Posso & Estefanía Saravia & Pablo Uribe, 2023. "Acing the Test: Educational Effects of the SaberEs Test Preparation Program in Colombia," Borradores de Economia 1237, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdr:borrec:1237
    DOI: 10.32468/be.1237
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    Cited by:

    1. Friedman-Sokuler, Naomi & Justman, Moshe, 2024. "Family background, education, and earnings: The limited value of "test-score transmission"," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1388, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Test preparation programs; standardized tests; higher education; financial aid and scholarships; education in Latin America; Programas de preparación de exámenes; exámenes estandarizados; enseñanza superior; financiación y becas; educación en América Latina.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A21 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Pre-college
    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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