Give your third grader the confidence to succeed on the Colorado CMAS Grade 3 English Language Arts test.
This Smart Stars practice book provides five full-length, standards-aligned practice tests that mirror the length, item mix, and question types of the real CMAS assessment in English Language Arts. Every passage and question was written by experienced educators, reviewed for accuracy, and built around the Colorado Academic Standards for Reading, Writing and Communicating at Grade 3 — Colorado’s own standards — so the skills and emphasis match what Colorado students actually see.
Take a look inside
CMAS — the Colorado Measures of Academic Success — is the test the Colorado Department of Education gives to every public-school student in Grades 3–8.
- Question types: the Grade 3 ELA test blends single-answer multiple choice with two-part evidence questions (Part A and Part B), select-two multiple-select, interactive drag-and-drop, sorting, and drop-down items, vocabulary-in-context, and written constructed responses.
- Each practice test here: 29 questions across three reading sets, 145 questions across the book.
- Field-test items: the kind of field-test questions the real test blends in invisibly are fully written and answered here, so nothing on test day feels unfamiliar.
What’s inside
- Five full-length practice tests, with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
- Three reading sets per test — a mix of literary stories, fables, poems, drama, informational articles, and paired passages — just like the real test’s blend of literary and informational reading
- Practice in every CMAS item format rendered for paper: multiple choice, two-part evidence questions (Part A and Part B), select-two, drag-and-drop and sorting, drop-down and matching (which source an idea comes from), vocabulary-in-context, and written constructed responses
- Two written-response questions per test, each scored the way CMAS scores them — across Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, and Knowledge of Language and Conventions — with sample points and a full worked answer
- A combined Quick Answer Key after all five tests for fast self-grading
Skills covered
- Finding key details and determining the main idea, central message, or theme of a text
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions supported by text evidence
- Two-part evidence questions: choosing the best answer, then the sentence or detail that proves it
- Determining the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases from context
- Analyzing characters, setting, and plot in stories, fables, and drama
- Reading and interpreting poetry — stanzas, rhyme, and figurative language such as similes and metaphors
- Understanding author’s purpose, text structure, and text features (headings, captions, and tables)
- Comparing and integrating information across paired passages, and identifying which source an idea comes from
- Writing short constructed responses that state an opinion or idea and support it with details from the text
- Applying grade-level language and conventions in writing
Why parents and teachers choose Smart Stars
- Educator-authored: Every passage and question is written and reviewed by classroom-experienced educators.
- Mirrors test day: Each practice test matches the official CMAS shape, item mix, and question formats, with field-test-style questions blended in invisibly just like the real test.
- Explanations teach the why: Every Answers and Explanations entry shows the reasoning with evidence from the passage, then a labeled closing Tip, Reading move, or Strategy so students learn how to think it through.
