What is taught in school in Colombia? Article 23 of the General Education Law lists nine compulsory and fundamental areas for basic education: natural sciences and environmental education; social sciences, history, geography, constitution and democracy; artistic and cultural education; ethics and human values; physical education, recreation and sport; religious education (with constitutional safeguards); humanities, Spanish and foreign languages; mathematics; and technology and informatics. These areas must account for at least eighty per cent of the basic school study plan, but the actual courses, projects and timetables are set through the school’s approved Proyecto Educativo Institucional (PEI) and relevant local rules.
Colombia’s usual route includes preschool, five primary grades (1–5), four lower-secondary grades (6–9) and two upper-secondary grades (10–11). In Grades 10 and 11, *educación media académica* develops the basic areas at greater depth and includes the additional fields economics, politics and philosophy under the national law. Technical secondary schools offer approved technical subject specialisations. There is no single mandatory timetable identical across every Colombian school.
In 2026 the official Colombia Aprende portal refreshed its Derechos Básicos de Aprendizaje (DBA) collection on 25 May, providing clear grade-level learning references for language, mathematics, natural science and social sciences. These guide school teaching without abolishing curricular autonomy. The Saber 11 state examination has five tests—Critical Reading, Mathematics, Social and Citizenship, Natural Sciences and English—but an exam’s five papers are not the same as the country’s nine compulsory curriculum areas. This guide uses the General Education Law, 2026 DBA resources and ICFES Saber 11 information.
Fast answers: curriculum areas and grades
Preschool (particularly transición): social, communicative, cognitive, physical and creative development through age-appropriate activities, rather than a miniature secondary timetable. Grades 1–5: Spanish literacy, mathematics, early natural and social sciences, ethical/civic learning, art, PE, appropriate foreign-language and digital activities under PEI. Grades 6–9: deeper algebra, scientific concepts, history, geography, social responsibility, technology, languages, arts, sport and other approved courses. Grades 10–11: more advanced academic or technical preparation; economics, political sciences and philosophy become important in academic media alongside the other basic fields.
The legally required areas are not automatically nine separate marks every week. Schools may group content, develop transversal projects, select teaching sequences and offer additional approved courses within their PEI. Private and public schools must satisfy the relevant framework but are not necessarily pedagogically identical. Colombia’s public ministry resources distinguish estándares básicos de competencias, DBA, classroom *mallas de aprendizaje* and curricular guidelines. These serve different purposes. A parent should match the child’s actual grade and school plan before buying revision materials.
Article 23: why the nine groups matter
Article 23 of Law 115/1994 is a particularly useful source because it lists the compulsory groups and explains their share of basic-school plans. Natural science/environment is not just an elective; social science/history/geography/constitution is a basic field; artistic and cultural education has its own educational purpose. The list also encompasses values and ethics, physical education/sport, religious education, humanities and languages, mathematics, and technology/informatics. An article that mentions only Spanish, maths and science misses the country’s documented breadth.
The law also protects freedom of conscience: religious education must be offered in schools under the law, but no one may be compelled to receive it in state institutions, in line with constitutional protections. A factual curriculum guide should describe the area without inferring a student’s personal beliefs. Additionally, the requirement that these areas occupy at least eighty per cent of the basic study plan does not establish identical hourly allocations between maths and art. A school’s PEI and applicable regulations control organisation.
From preescolar to grado 11: understanding the ladder
Colombian formal education has preschool, educación básica primaria (Grades 1–5), básica secundaria (Grades 6–9) and media (Grades 10–11). Older or differently organised provision, rural pathways and educational models can change how a child accesses these stages. The stages matter when comparing with other countries: Grade 6 is the beginning of lower secondary in the ordinary structure, while Grade 11 is the final school year before a higher-education or training route.
A child entering a foreign system should not be placed solely on the basis of a matching number. A receiving institution needs the actual completed curriculum, school language, certificates and year. A Grade 9 Colombian pupil may have secure mathematics but different coursework sequences from another country’s ninth year. A respectful diagnostic can identify missing prerequisites without assuming the previous programme was inferior. Official equivalence and admission remain the receiving institution’s responsibility.
DBA, standards and PEI are not synonyms
The Derechos Básicos de Aprendizaje help teachers identify essential learning outcomes for particular grades and areas. The official Colombia Aprende resource, updated 25 May 2026, emphasises language, mathematics, natural science and social sciences. Estándares básicos de competencias describe broader expectations, while a school PEI and study plan organise actual teaching according to legal requirements and context. Calling a DBA sheet the entire national timetable would be a mistake.
For example, a maths DBA may guide a teacher toward interpreting proportional relationships. The school can choose suitable representations and tasks, but the learner still needs to demonstrate the concept. A textbook page is one resource, a classroom assignment is evidence of what was practised and independent student work gives insight into what was mastered. Parents should ask how the teacher’s feedback links to an official learning expectation, not simply whether the workbook was completed.
Spanish language: learning to understand and communicate
Lengua Castellana develops reading, writing, speaking, listening and critical interpretation. In early primary grades, children build word recognition, spelling, vocabulary and sentence comprehension. Later they interpret genres, identify arguments, distinguish a fact from an opinion and compose sustained explanations. School Spanish is the medium through which many other subjects are learned, so difficulty with academic vocabulary can affect science and mathematics even when the underlying idea is familiar.
A child may read a paragraph fluently yet fail to summarise it. Another may explain an event orally but struggle to express it in writing. These are different problems. Ask for one explicitly stated fact, an inference supported by the text and a short written summary. Then classify an error as decoding, vocabulary, sentence meaning, evidence or organisation. A precise intervention gives more value than simply assigning many grammar exercises regardless of the child’s actual need.
Original reading task: what a source does not say
A fictional notice says: ‘La biblioteca abrirá el miércoles a las ocho. Los estudiantes deben llevar su carné.’ Ask when the library opens and what learners need. Both facts appear explicitly. Then ask when it closes: no closing time is supplied. A confident invented time should be marked as unsupported, because comprehension includes recognising missing information.
Students can write a short message informing a classmate, using only confirmed details. A teacher then checks whether the meaning is preserved and the sentence is clear. If the child writes correctly but adds an invented closing time, work on evidence. If they understand the facts but the message is confusing, work on expression. The passage is original teaching material, not a reproduction of an ICFES test.
Mathematics in Grades 1–5: concrete meaning first
Elementary mathematics helps pupils understand counting, place value, operations, geometry, measurement and data. The official DBA mathematics resource updated in 2026 stresses logical reasoning and problem-solving rather than only memorising formulas. A student needs to know what a division represents. Forty-eight objects distributed equally among six groups give eight per group. A drawing of the groups, the equation 48 ÷ 6 = 8 and the check 6 × 8 = 48 should agree.
Now change the conditions: four groups contain eight objects, while two contain seven. The total is 4 × 8 + 2 × 7 = 46. A student who repeats forty-eight has not updated the model even if they know their multiplication facts. Ask the child to name the quantities before calculating. This addresses conceptual reading and representation, not only arithmetic speed.
Fractions and the reference whole
Suppose a class has 64 sheets of coloured paper and needs three eighths for a project. One eighth is eight sheets; three eighths is twenty-four. The pupil can draw eight groups and show why the portion is smaller than half the total. A correct answer reached by guessing does not show the same understanding as a representation and explanation.
Now remove sixteen sheets first. The remainder is forty-eight; three eighths is eighteen. The fraction did not change, but the relevant whole did. A learner who repeats twenty-four is ignoring ‘of the remaining paper’. The teacher should identify what each number refers to and ask for another changed example. These are original demonstrations of number sense that can be useful across school systems.
Secondary maths: algebra, data and reasoning
In Grades 6–9, mathematics becomes more formal through algebraic relations, geometry, statistics and probability according to the current course. In Grades 10–11, a pupil may meet more advanced functions, reasoning or applications depending on their academic or technical programme. The achievement standard is not measured only by speed: students need to interpret, represent and justify methods.
Consider 5x + 20 = 120. Subtract twenty to get 5x = 100, then divide by five to obtain x = 20. Substituting confirms the equality. The teacher should explain why both sides must remain balanced, rather than teach the misleading idea that numbers magically ‘change sign’ when moved. A student who can solve a familiar equation but not recognise it in a word problem needs a modelling bridge.
Original worked cost comparison in Colombian pesos
Imagine a fictional school trip service charging COP 120,000 as a fixed booking fee plus COP 15,000 per student. A(n) = 120000 + 15000n. Another provider charges COP 21,000 per student with no fixed fee, B(n) = 21000n. Equality is 120000 = 6000n, so n = 20 students. At ten students the first costs COP 270,000 and the second COP 210,000; the second is cheaper.
For thirty students, the first costs COP 570,000 and the second COP 630,000; now the first is cheaper. Ask the learner why the comparison changes and what a real provider quotation might include that the model ignores. This is fictional arithmetic, not an actual Colombian transport price. The valuable skill is forming an equation from conditions, checking units and interpreting the result.
Ciencias Naturales y Educación Ambiental
Natural Sciences and Environmental Education is a compulsory basic area under Article 23. Learning can involve biology, chemistry, physics, Earth processes and environmental understanding across appropriate stages. The 2026 DBA resource for science covers learning from transition through Grade 11. In primary school, pupils observe and classify familiar phenomena; older students interpret physical models, living systems and evidence with increasing rigour.
Imagine a pupil comparing how two plants grew. If the plants differed in water, light and soil, the observation cannot prove which one factor caused the change. A good investigation proposes a fairer comparison and records measurements. This demonstrates scientific thinking rather than simply memorising ‘photosynthesis’. The grade-specific resource determines which concepts are required; no country-wide article can establish that every child completed the same laboratory experiment.
Biology: interpreting living systems
Biology helps older pupils understand organisms, structures, functions and ecological interactions. A diagram of a leaf can help identify components, but knowing labels alone does not explain the mechanism being studied. A learner should connect concepts, make predictions and use observations appropriately. Health-related topics must remain age-suitable and should not become personalised medical treatment.
A teacher might ask why a seedling wilts in one condition but not another, while noting that temperature, water and light may all matter. A careful answer distinguishes what was observed and what is inferred. A student with an accurate scientific idea but weak written Spanish may need academic vocabulary, whereas another who confidently writes an inaccurate mechanism needs conceptual instruction. Identifying the difference makes teaching more effective.
Chemistry: matter and change
Chemistry becomes more specialised through the secondary science progression. Students learn to describe substances, mixtures, their properties and transformations. A common misconception is that sugar dissolving in water means sugar has ceased to exist or necessarily formed a new chemical substance. Ordinary dissolution is a physical process; a student needs evidence before asserting chemical change.
Use a diagram or safe teacher-supervised demonstration to compare mixing and reacting. The pupil should record observations, name the model and state what evidence is still missing. Dramatic unsafe reactions are unnecessary and inappropriate for home study. A scientifically correct explanation is more meaningful than memorising a phrase without being able to apply it in a new context.
Physics: calculations that require interpretation
Physics includes quantities such as distance, time, speed, force and energy under the relevant grade syllabus. Suppose a fictional vehicle covers 180 kilometres in three hours. Average speed is 60 kilometres per hour. The result describes total distance divided by total time, not proof the vehicle travelled at one constant speed.
If the same distance takes four hours, average speed is 45 kilometres per hour. Ask why this changes and what additional measurements would reveal the motion during a particular interval. A student who reports ’60’ without units or states constant speed as certain has not fully understood the meaning. The exercise combines mathematics with scientific reasoning without claiming to be an ICFES examination item.
Ciencias Sociales: history, geography and democracy
The Social Sciences area includes history, geography, the Constitution and democratic/civic understanding. History asks what happened and what sources support the interpretation. Geography asks where patterns occur and how places and environments relate. Constitutional/civic learning concerns institutions, rights and responsibilities, while education should support reasoned participation rather than require agreement with a particular political party.
A class can compare two dated accounts of the same school event and explain why their emphases differ. In geography, students use a map’s scale, noting it cannot prove the speed of real transport. Civic discussion can evaluate a hypothetical policy by identifying its goals, trade-offs and supporting evidence. These related questions require different disciplinary methods, and a thorough curriculum guide keeps them distinct.
Original geography exercise: maps and actual journeys
A fictional map has a scale of one centimetre to five kilometres. Two places six centimetres apart have a straight-line separation of thirty kilometres. Does that establish how long a bus needs to travel between them? No. The route, conditions, stops and actual speed require other information. Students should state which claim the map supports and what remains unknown.
A secondary extension asks how transport access might interact with education while avoiding unsupported assumptions about specific Colombian communities. The learner could compare verified public information about routes and services rather than guess based on a single photograph. The activity combines spatial measurement and cautious explanation without requiring students to reveal private home locations.
Artistic and cultural education
Educación artística y cultural is a required basic educational area. Students can develop visual composition, music, drama, cultural interpretation and skills in making and revising creative work, depending on the school plan. Art is not a free period simply because it may not be represented in Saber 11’s five test categories.
A pupil can design a poster for a fictional school science fair, ask another child to interpret it and revise the layout when a date is unclear. This demonstrates audience awareness, planning and aesthetic decision-making. A maths extension may involve proportions or measuring available poster space, but artistic success still includes communication, imagination and deliberate technique. The actual programme defines its appropriate assessment.
Ética y Valores Humanos
Ethics and Human Values is another compulsory basic area. It helps pupils reason about interpersonal behaviour, responsibility and decisions within school and community life, with appropriate attention to rights and dignity. A thoughtful lesson is not merely a sheet of slogans; pupils should be able to explain how a rule affects different people and what evidence might show whether it works.
Imagine the school has limited laptops. Students consider a borrowing schedule and identify who benefits, who could be excluded and how to assess fairness. Different defensible solutions may emerge. The teacher can evaluate reasoning, respectful discussion and willingness to revise ideas. The class should not collect sensitive family information or turn an academic task into partisan persuasion.
Physical Education, Recreation and Sport
The law lists physical education, recreation and sport as a fundamental school area. Its learning involves movement, coordination, safe activity, teamwork and understanding appropriate wellbeing practices. The exact sports and facilities depend on the institution and pupil’s needs; a legal requirement does not guarantee identical local provision.
An exercise may ask pupils to practise a movement under supervision and explain how feedback improved technique. Teachers should evaluate skill and safe participation rather than publicly judge children’s bodies or private health. Physical education has legitimate goals independent of performance in mathematics examinations. A complete guide should include it because it is part of the intended educational programme.
Religious education and constitutional safeguards
Religious education appears in Article 23, but the same legal provisions explicitly protect freedom of conscience and say no person can be compelled to receive it in state institutions. A parent should distinguish the school’s legal subject obligation and the child’s personal participation or exemption arrangements. A curriculum article should not infer an individual pupil’s beliefs from the existence of a subject.
For a transfer or equivalence decision, record what course the learner actually completed, under what programme and with what assessment. Do not casually equate religious education with history, civic education or a foreign ethics qualification. Each has a different content and legal basis. Official school guidance should resolve questions about specific arrangements.
Humanities, foreign languages and English
The compulsory Humanities area includes Spanish language and foreign languages. English is a major component in the country’s educational landscape, while actual foreign-language provision and course depth depend on school and grade. The official 2026 language DBA materials help educators identify essential communicative abilities. A subject being taught does not mean that it is the medium for every other school course.
A student may solve a maths problem in Spanish correctly but struggle when it is written in English. The teacher should first confirm the concept, then teach the vocabulary needed to express it. Similarly, a fluent English speaker may need help writing an academic paragraph. Listening, reading, speaking and writing should be assessed separately. Repeating an entire science unit because of an unfamiliar English term may be wasteful.
Technology and Informatics: beyond using a computer
Tecnología e Informática is the ninth compulsory group. Students can learn about tools, systems, algorithms, technological design, responsible information use and problem-solving as defined by their school’s PEI. It is inaccurate to treat typing on a tablet as proof that a pupil understands all computing concepts, or assume each school provides an advanced programming course in early primary grades.
An unplugged task asks pupils to write steps for sorting numbered cards and test them with repeated values. An online-source task compares an undated post with a current official Ministry document. Both teach precision and reasoning. As digital courses deepen, students can implement and evaluate algorithms, but specific software, resources and assessment are institutional matters.
Grades 10–11: education media académica
Under Law 115, general *educación media académica* extends the compulsory areas at more advanced levels while introducing economics, politics and philosophy. Different schools can focus on particular sciences, humanities or other orientations. A pupil in Grade 11 may therefore have a timetable with more advanced mathematics and literature or specialist courses that another school’s programme does not offer.
A senior student should examine which actual subjects they need for the destination programme. Someone considering engineering may require strong algebra, physics and reading of diagrams; someone considering social research needs academic writing and data interpretation. A subject choice cannot guarantee admission. The university or technical institution’s current rules decide eligibility, and the student’s work determines which foundations need strengthening.
Educación media técnica: vocational learning is different
Technical upper-secondary programmes connect general foundations with occupationally relevant competencies. Depending on the school and authorised specialty, students may work with IT, business, manufacturing, agricultural sciences, tourism or other fields. They still need language and mathematics, but practical assessment and credential arrangements differ from those of ordinary academic media.
A learner drawing an object must use scales and units accurately; one writing a program must test whether it works in unfamiliar cases; a business student must distinguish revenue from profit. These skills should not be dismissed as less intellectually demanding merely because the route is technical. Families should verify the recognised qualification, provider, equipment and further-study options rather than infer them from an attractive programme title.
Saber 11: five tests, not the full curriculum
ICFES states that Saber 11 contains five tests: Lectura Crítica, Matemáticas, Sociales y Ciudadanas, Ciencias Naturales and Inglés. These categories evaluate specific competencies as students finish media. They are not identical to the nine basic curriculum areas under Law 115, and an exam paper’s absence of art or PE does not prove those subjects were never taught.
Read the current official ICFES orientation before practising the relevant session. A student’s score may reflect reading accuracy, mathematical modelling or the ability to choose evidence from a graph. Diagnostic practice should identify the cause rather than merely count incorrect answers. Saber 11 results have important uses, but a specific higher-education institution may impose additional criteria. Do not promise an automatic university place from any one score.
May 2026 DBA update: what is genuinely new
The Colombia Aprende DBA collection shows an update on 25 May 2026. That publication date matters for readers seeking the current resource; it does not establish that the nine school areas were created in May 2026 or that every classroom began an entirely new schedule overnight. The collection’s purpose is to clarify essential learning and support planning and evidence of achievement.
For families, a useful strategy is to select the learner’s grade and subject from the updated collection, then find a representative assignment that demonstrates the expected skill. A pupil who can identify a concept but cannot apply it in a changed scenario needs more practice with transfer. Good reform communication distinguishes refreshed resources, enacted requirements and confirmed classroom delivery.
Indigenous, rural and multilingual education
Colombia’s laws and policies recognise educational contexts involving Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and other communities, regional languages and different rural conditions. That recognition should not be turned into a claim that every school uses one identical teaching language or curriculum design. Ethnoeducation and community-appropriate teaching require attention to the school and authorised arrangements.
A child who reasons securely in a familiar community language may need a bridge to academic Spanish, just as a pupil transferring into English-medium study may need specialist vocabulary. Teachers should respect prior knowledge while verifying actual prerequisites. A public article should not infer an individual child’s ethnicity, identity or abilities from their location; programmes and learners must be understood through verified educational evidence.
Preparing for a transition after Grade 5 or Grade 9
The move from primary Grade 5 to lower-secondary Grade 6 or from basic Grade 9 to media Grade 10 often increases the number and depth of subject-specific tasks. Maths problems may introduce algebraic symbols; science may use diagrams and data; Spanish writing may require an extended argument. A student who succeeded with routine primary exercises can struggle when expected to explain an unfamiliar method.
A practical transition meeting asks what the student already knows and which new skills are required. One learner may need algebra foundations, another more careful reading. Parents should not automatically buy advanced exam packs. The most useful intervention targets a confirmed weakness and checks independent work afterward. The relevant school sets formal course or admission rules.
Four-week learning check aligned to school outcomes
Week 1: identify the school, PEI, grade and actual courses. Use DBA and relevant standards to choose a small set of representative tasks. Week 2: check reading comprehension, mathematical representation and one science or social-source explanation. Ask for recall, an explanation and an unfamiliar application. Classify the first error.
Week 3: teach one bridge—fractions, an equation, graph interpretation or evidence-based writing—with a clear model and guided correction. Week 4: compare fresh independent work to the baseline and select the next objective with the teacher. For Grade 11, check the current ICFES resources and genuine university entry requirements. Responsible support cannot guarantee any particular examination score.
Common Colombia curriculum questions, answered
Are the nine areas compulsory? The law lists them as mandatory groups for basic education, subject to its detailed provisions and school curriculum. Is English on the national landscape? Foreign languages are part of humanities; school offerings and levels vary. Is religious instruction compulsory for every individual in a state school? No; constitutional safeguards apply. Does every student study advanced programming? Technology and informatics is compulsory as an area, but grade depth and local implementation vary.
Is Saber 11 the same as the complete curriculum? No, it has five tests. Are economics, politics and philosophy relevant in Grades 10–11? They are specified for academic media under the law. Do schools have identical textbooks? The approved curriculum and PEI structure teaching; actual materials can differ. Can a foreign school convert the Grade 11 score directly? Official recognition belongs to the receiving institution. What should parents check first? Grade-specific DBA, the school’s PEI and real independent work.
An original primary-science investigation
A fictional class tests whether two everyday materials absorb the same amount of water. They use comparable sample sizes and starting water volumes, observe what happens and record the results. If the materials differ in thickness and surface area, the student should recognise that more than one condition may explain the difference. An investigation becomes stronger when relevant variables are held comparable and the procedure is repeatable.
The teacher asks for three separate statements: the observation, a hypothesis and a limitation. A child who gives a confident scientific word without explaining its relationship to data needs reasoning support. The exercise can be performed safely with ordinary school materials under supervision. It is an original learning model, not a mandated ICFES practical.
A social-and-civic claim requiring careful evidence
A fictional headline reports that school club attendance rose after a new activity was introduced. Pupils are asked whether the activity necessarily caused the increase. It may have helped, but timing alone is not proof; changes in timetable, enrolment or available facilities could also matter. A careful response states what is known and what further evidence is required.
An extension compares two figures: attendance rises from forty to fifty pupils, an increase of ten pupils or 25% relative to the starting forty. This is not ‘ten percent’ and not ten percentage points of an unspecified school total. The task connects mathematical literacy with social science and careful communication.
The difference between a school grade and evidence of skill
A report might show a passing mark in Spanish without revealing whether a pupil understands an unfamiliar informational text. Another pupil may be quick at arithmetic but unable to justify which formula fits a word problem. The mark has administrative importance, but it does not replace close examination of the reasoning. Assessment and mastery are connected but distinct.
Ask the teacher for one assignment that demonstrates what the child can do independently and one current objective requiring improvement. A strong tutor should model a principle, practise it with feedback and then test a new example. Promises of guaranteed distinctions or exam results should be treated cautiously because each learner begins with different strengths and needs.
Original technology activity: an algorithm without costly equipment
Ask students to write instructions for sorting six cards labelled 2, 4, 2, 8, 1 and 5 into ascending order. A classmate follows the instructions literally. If the algorithm fails when a number repeats or is already correctly placed, the author revises it. This is a useful foundation for computational thinking even without individual laptops.
A second task asks learners to compare a public online statistic with its underlying source, identifying the date and sample. Technology and informatics education should strengthen reasoning about information, not just familiarity with applications. These abilities remain valuable when devices and software versions change.
Academic versus technical media: a choice with prerequisites
A pupil considering academic media or technical media should check the institution’s authorised programme, actual specialised subjects and qualification. A student’s interests and readiness matter, but so do mathematics foundations, reading requirements and the real entry rules of the next stage. Do not select a pathway solely because it is marketed as more prestigious or because it supposedly guarantees immediate employment.
An academic science learner may need advanced mathematical modelling and laboratory reasoning. A technical learner may need measurement, written safety instructions and practical competency. Both require accurate communication and the ability to check assumptions. A parent can help by identifying secure prerequisite skills and planning one realistic improvement at a time.
Assessment in a bilingual transfer scenario
Imagine a Colombian pupil who has strong science knowledge in Spanish but is entering an English-medium school abroad. A poor response to an English science question may reflect unfamiliar vocabulary rather than absence of the scientific concept. The receiving teacher can confirm the underlying idea with diagrams or an appropriate explanation, then bridge the English terms required in the new course.
Conversely, if the pupil recognises all the words but misunderstands cause and effect, more translation alone is insufficient. The teacher needs to reteach the scientific model. This distinction saves time and respects prior learning. Official grade equivalence and placement should still be determined by the receiving institution’s rules.
How to verify that a claimed reform is in force
Educational websites may host new resources, draft plans and old textbooks at the same time. A resource marked ‘updated 2026’ is not automatically an enacted rule that replaced every prior document. A credible guide identifies the type of source and which learners it applies to. Colombia’s statutory Article 23, 2026 DBA portal and ICFES examination specification answer different factual questions.
Parents can ask: is this a legal requirement, a ministerial learning guide, the school’s own study plan, an examination design or an example created by a tutor? The answer changes what the source proves. This habit makes large education-system series useful for actual readers instead of providing impressive-looking but misleading summaries.
Official sources and connected education guides
Law 115/1994: Article 23 basic curriculum areas; Colombia Aprende: 2026 Rights to Basic Learning (DBA) collection; 2026 DBA Mathematics; 2026 DBA Natural Sciences; ICFES Saber 11 official explanation; ICFES Saber 11 orientation materials; Understanding the Education System of Colombia; Immutable Clementi mathematics teaching reference.