About this book
Give your fourth grader the confidence to succeed on both Michigan M-STEP tests — Mathematics and English Language Arts — in one book.
This Smart Stars combined edition brings together ten full-length, standards-aligned practice tests — five in Mathematics and five in English Language Arts — that mirror the length, item mix, and question types of the real Michigan M-STEP assessments.
Take a look inside
Every question and passage was written by experienced educators, reviewed for accuracy, and built around the Michigan Academic Standards at Grade 4 — the standards Michigan built the M-STEP on — so the topics and emphasis match what Michigan students actually see.
The M-STEP — the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress — is the test the Michigan Department of Education gives to students in Grades 3–7, delivered online and untimed.
- On the real test: students click, drag, type, mark points on number lines, read protractors and graphs, and select evidence from reading passages.
- On paper instead of a screen: this book renders those same skills as clear, print-friendly items — with the same number lines, area and perimeter figures, protractors, bar graphs, line plots, fraction and array models, input-output tables, and reading-passage sets.
So the thinking is identical even though the answering is on paper.
What’s inside
- Ten full-length practice tests — five Mathematics (40 questions each) and five English Language Arts (45 questions each, including one passage-based writing prompt), 425 questions in all — with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
- Every M-STEP item format, rendered for paper: single-answer multiple choice, multiple select (“select two”), type-in answers, True/False and Yes/No matching tables, two-part Part A / Part B evidence items, and figure-based technology-enhanced tasks — across both subjects
- The Listening section as a read-aloud script: on the real test your child hears the listening material as audio, so each listening talk is printed here as a script for a parent, teacher, or helper to read aloud while the student listens
- Study support built in: a Grade 4 Math Study Reference and a Grade 4 ELA Study Reference for use while learning and reviewing — set aside during each practice test, because Grade 4 students get no calculator and no reference sheet on the real M-STEP
- Family-friendly extras: a parent letter with test-taking tips for both subjects, and a separate Quick Answer Key for each subject
Topics covered
- Place value through the millions, comparing and rounding multi-digit numbers
- Multi-digit multiplication with partial products, and long division with remainders
- Multiplicative comparison and multi-step word problems
- Equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, and fractions on a number line
- Adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers, including regrouping
- Multiplying a fraction by a whole number
- Decimal notation for tenths and hundredths, and comparing decimals
- Factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers, and number and shape patterns
- Measuring and classifying angles with a protractor
- Area and perimeter of rectangles and composite figures in real-world problems
- Lines, angles, two-dimensional shapes, and lines of symmetry
- Line plots, input-output tables, and interpreting data
- Measurement conversion, elapsed time, and money problems
- Main idea and theme, and the key details that support them
- Character, setting, and plot in literary texts, and how characters respond to events
- Author’s purpose and point of view, and text features such as headings, captions, and charts
- Text structure — sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem and solution
- Poetic elements including stanza, rhyme, imagery, and figurative language
- Vocabulary in context, plus prefixes, suffixes, and root words
- Making inferences and citing the specific text evidence that supports them
- Listening: understanding a spoken talk and identifying the reasons and evidence a speaker gives
- Research: choosing good sources, sorting notes, and combining information from two sources
- Grammar and conventions: verb tense, subject-verb agreement, capitalization, commas, and apostrophes
- Passage-based writing: stating an idea, supporting it with evidence from the text, and organizing a clear beginning, middle, and end
Why parents and teachers choose Smart Stars
- Educator-authored: Every question and passage is written and reviewed by classroom-experienced educators, and no passage is reproduced from copyrighted work.
- Mirrors test day: Each practice test matches the official M-STEP item mix, question formats, and on-screen skills for its subject, rendered clearly for paper practice.
- Explanations teach the why: Math entries show the full worked solution and name the trap behind the top wrong answer; reading entries point to the exact evidence in the passage.
- Both subjects in one book: The same tests as the single-subject editions, combined so your child can build math fluency and reading stamina side by side.
