Give your third grader the confidence to succeed on the Delaware DeSSA Grade 3 Math test.
This Smart Stars practice book provides five full-length, Smarter-Balanced-aligned practice tests, each with 50 items that mirror the operational length and item mix of the real DeSSA Mathematics assessment. Every test was written by experienced educators, reviewed for accuracy, and built around the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics at Grade 3.
The DeSSA Math test for Grade 3 is delivered online through Cambium Assessment in two untimed sessions: a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) of about 30 machine-scored items followed by a Performance Task (PT) of 4 to 6 items, including 2-point hand-scored short responses. Delaware estimates roughly 90 minutes total, untimed. Each practice test here uses the full 50-item structure (scored-style items plus unscored field-test-style items) to mirror the true on-screen length and build real test-day endurance.
What’s inside
- Five full-length practice tests of 50 items each, with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
- Coverage of every Grade 3 Common Core math standard across the four Smarter Balanced claims: Concepts and Procedures (Claim 1, the largest reporting category); Problem Solving (Claim 2); Communicating Reasoning (Claim 3); and Modeling and Data Analysis (Claim 4): with Claims 2 and 4 combined for reporting per the Smarter Balanced summative blueprint
- Every explanation includes a labeled Strategy and Tip so students learn the underlying reasoning, not just the answer
- A combined Quick Answer Key at the back of the book for fast self-grading
- A parent letter and test-taking tips section to set students up for success on test day
- No-calculator practice throughout, matching the official DeSSA Grade 3 policy (the embedded calculator first appears in Grade 6)
Topics covered
- Place value, rounding to the nearest ten and hundred, and adding/subtracting within 1,000
- Multiplication and division facts within 100, with fact families and unknown-factor problems
- The commutative, associative, and distributive properties as fact-building tools
- Multiplying one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10
- Arithmetic patterns on multiplication tables, including row and column rules
- Equivalent fractions and fractions on the number line (including fractions greater than 1)
- Comparing fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator
- Telling and writing time to the nearest minute, and solving elapsed-time problems
- Measuring liquid volume and mass in metric units, with one-step word problems
- Line plots scaled in halves and quarters of an inch
- Reading and interpreting scaled picture graphs and scaled bar graphs
- Area as a count of unit squares and as the product of side lengths
- Recognizing perimeter as an attribute of plane figures and solving for missing sides
- Categorizing shapes by attributes: rectangles, rhombuses, squares, trapezoids, and other quadrilaterals
- Partitioning shapes into equal areas and naming the resulting unit fraction
Why parents and teachers choose Smart Stars
- Educator-authored. Every question is written and reviewed by classroom-experienced educators.
- Mirrors test day. Each practice test matches the official DeSSA structure, item count, and policy (no calculator and no reference sheet at Grade 3; an embedded ruler is available for measurement items).
- Explanations teach the why. Every Answers and Explanations entry walks through the reasoning step by step, then provides a labeled Strategy and Tip so students learn the move, not just the answer.
- Varied across five tests. Slot positions, contexts, names, and number choices rotate test-to-test so no two tests feel like the same practice run.
- Field-test items built in. Each practice test includes unscored items that mirror the real field-test load on the live DeSSA exam, building true test-day endurance.