Give your fourth grader the confidence to succeed on the Colorado CMAS Grade 4 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 spring 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 4 — so the reading, the skills, and the writing tasks 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 public-school students in Grades 3-8.
- Delivery: an online assessment administered in units over the school year, with paper forms available as an accommodation, and the spring administration is the one that counts toward grade-level results.
- Question types: the Grade 4 ELA test blends single-answer multiple choice with multiple-select (“select two”) items, two-part evidence questions (Part A and Part B), drag-and-drop ordering, “write an X in the correct column” matching tables, vocabulary-in-context items, and written-response essay tasks based on literary and informational passages.
- Length: about 23 scored questions, with unscored field-test questions mixed in invisibly.
- Each practice test here: 35 questions in three item sets, with two written-response tasks — for 175 questions across the book, to build true test-day endurance.
What’s inside
- Five full-length practice tests, with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
- Original reading passages in every genre CMAS uses — realistic fiction, folktales and tall tales, poetry, and informational and science texts — including paired-passage sets that ask students to read across two texts
- Field-test-style questions blended invisibly into each test, just like the real CMAS, and fully answered here so nothing on test day feels unfamiliar
- Practice in every CMAS ELA item format rendered for paper: multiple choice, multiple select (“select two”), two-part evidence questions (Part A / Part B), drag-and-drop sequencing, “write an X in the correct column” matching tables, vocabulary-in-context, and written-response essays
- Scoring guidance for each written-response task, aligned to the CMAS Grades 4-5 writing rubric
- A combined Quick Answer Key after each test for fast self-grading
- A family letter and a test-taking tips section up front, written for Grade 4 readers and their families
Reading, thinking, and writing — all in one book: The real Grade 4 ELA test asks students to read closely, find text evidence, and write about what they read, so students practice exactly as they will test, with only pencil, paper, and what they have learned.
Topics covered
- Main idea, central message, and theme, and summarizing a passage in a student’s own words
- Drawing inferences and conclusions, and supporting them with evidence from the text
- Author’s purpose and point of view, and how a text is organized
- Vocabulary in context: multiple-meaning words, prefixes, suffixes, and root words, and using context clues
- Figurative language, tone, and mood, and the words an author chooses
- Story elements: character, setting, plot, and the sequence of events
- Informational text features, cause and effect, and main idea with supporting details
- Two-part evidence questions: making a claim in Part A and choosing the sentence that supports it in Part B
- Comparing and connecting two texts on the same topic or theme
- Written response: literary analysis, informative/research writing, and narrative tasks — organizing a response, supporting it with evidence from both texts, and finishing with a clear closing
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 questions blended in invisibly just like the real test.
- Built for Colorado: Aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, and Communicating at Grade 4, with grade-appropriate passages and a diverse cast of student names.
- Explanations teach the why: Every Answers and Explanations entry justifies the correct answer with specific evidence from the passage, so students learn how to read and reason like the test asks.
- Varied throughout: Passage topics, genres, contexts, names, and question-type order rotate test-to-test, so no two tests feel like the same practice run.
