About this book
Give your third grader the confidence to succeed on the California CAASPP 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 Smarter Balanced spring assessment in English Language Arts/Literacy.
Take a look inside
Every passage and question is original, written by experienced educators, reviewed for accuracy, and built around the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy at Grade 3 — so the reading, writing, and research skills match what California students actually see.
CAASPP — the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress — is the testing program the California Department of Education gives to public-school students in Grades 3-8 and Grade 11.
- Delivery: for English language arts it uses the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment, built by the multi-state Smarter Balanced consortium and delivered in California by ETS.
- Format: an untimed, computer-adaptive test paired with a Performance Task.
- Tools at Grade 3: built-in digital tools — a highlighter, a line reader, and a notepad — but no reference sheet.
- Question types: single-answer multiple choice, multiple-select (“choose two”), two-part evidence-based questions, matching and table items, short written answers, and a full written article.
- Reporting areas: Smarter Balanced reports four areas — Reading, Writing, Listening, and Research — with Reading the largest part of the test.
- Length: about 30 questions plus a Performance Task, with a few unscored field-test questions mixed in invisibly.
- Each practice test here: about 30 questions plus a full Performance Task on each of the five tests, 150 questions and 5 complete Performance Tasks in all — to build true test-day endurance.
What’s inside
- Five full-length practice tests, with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
- Coverage of all four areas Smarter Balanced reports for English language arts — Reading, Writing, Listening, and Research — weighted toward Reading, the largest part of the test, just like the real blueprint
- Reading passages in every genre the test uses: realistic fiction stories, informational articles, and spoken “presentations” (the listening sets, printed so your student can read them)
- Practice in every Smarter Balanced ELA item format rendered for paper: single-answer multiple choice, multiple select (“choose two”), two-part evidence-based questions, matching and table items, short written responses, and a full written article
- A three-part Performance Task on every test — read two sources, match the evidence, and write an informational article — mirroring the real Performance Task
- Every explanation justifies the answer with text evidence and ends with a labeled Reading move, Tip, Strategy, or Word clue, so students learn the skill, not just the answer
- A combined Quick Answer Key after each test for fast self-grading
- A family letter, a test-taking tips section, and a Grade 3 ELA study reference page up front — included as a study aid, since the real test provides no reference sheet at Grade 3
Topics covered
- Reading literature: main idea and central message or lesson (theme), character traits and how a character changes, key details and “according to the story” questions, vocabulary in context, and figurative language such as similes and idioms
- Reading informational text: main idea and supporting details, author’s purpose, how the ideas are organized (sequence and cause and effect), vocabulary defined by the passage, and inference and drawing conclusions
- Listening: understanding the main idea, key details, purpose, and organization of a spoken presentation (printed for paper practice)
- Writing and language: correct verb tense and irregular past-tense verbs, punctuation (end marks, commas in a series, city and state), combining two sentences with the right joining word, choosing strong descriptive words and adding vivid detail, and keeping a paragraph on topic
- Distinguishing fact from opinion
- Research: choosing sources that fit a topic and telling reliable sources from off-topic ones, finding the sentence that answers a “what” or “where” question, supporting an opinion with a reason, placing a detail under the correct heading, and matching evidence to the source that supports it
- Performance Task: reading two related sources and writing an informational article with a clear beginning, middle, and ending, using details from both sources in the student’s own words
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 Smarter Balanced ELA shape, four reporting areas, item mix, question formats, and no-reference-sheet policy, and includes a full Performance Task just like the real test.
- Built for California: Aligned to the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy at Grade 3, with 100% original passages and a diverse cast of student names and everyday contexts.
- Explanations teach the why: Every Answers and Explanations entry justifies the answer with text evidence, then adds a labeled Reading move, Tip, Strategy, or Word clue so students learn the reasoning.
- Varied and graduated: Question order, item formats, answer positions, passage topics, and names rotate test-to-test, and the five tests step up in difficulty — the later tests lean on more inference, two-part, and evidence-based reasoning — so no two feel like the same practice run.
