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. 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. 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, as an untimed, computer-adaptive test paired with a Performance Task. The Grade 3 test provides built-in digital tools (a highlighter, a line reader, and a notepad) but no reference sheet, and it blends single-answer multiple choice with multiple-select (“choose two”), two-part evidence-based questions, matching and table items, short written answers, and a full written article. Smarter Balanced reports four areas (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Research) with Reading the largest part of the test. On the test a student answers about 30 questions plus a Performance Task, with a few unscored field-test questions mixed in invisibly. Each practice test here follows that same shape (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
- 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
No reference sheet on test day. The real Grade 3 English language arts test gives students built-in digital tools but no reference sheet, so students here practice exactly as they will test: reading closely, finding evidence in the text, and planning their writing with only what they have learned.
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.