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.

哥伦比亚和拉丁美洲教育的特点是，以标准化考试成绩衡量，教育质量存在巨大差距。本文评估了哥伦比亚一项名为SaberEs 的项目的影响，该项目加强了标准化认知测试的准备，例如哥伦比亚针对社会经济地位较低的学生的高中毕业考试 ( Sabre 11 )。该计划提供基于能力的培训课程，以培养在上课时间内分析和解决特定类型问题的技能。我们的双重差分估计显示SaberEs增加了Saber 11分数提高了 2.22 个等级（或 0.074 个标准差），这意味着对照学校的社会经济成就差距缩小了 23%。此外，受该计划影响的学生在哥伦比亚获得高等教育和择优奖学金的机会显着增加。