Give your third grader the confidence to succeed on both Colorado CMAS 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 CMAS assessments. Every question and passage was written by experienced educators, reviewed for accuracy, and built around the Colorado Academic Standards at Grade 3 — the standards CMAS is built on — so the topics and emphasis match what Colorado students actually see.
Take a look inside
CMAS — the Colorado Measures of Academic Success — is the assessment the Colorado Department of Education gives to students statewide, delivered online through the Pearson TestNav platform.
- On the real test: students click, drag, type, mark points on number lines, read clocks and graphs, select evidence from reading passages, and write a response to what they read.
- 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, clocks, bar and picture graphs, line plots, fraction and array models, 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 (60 questions each) and five English Language Arts (29 questions each, including a written response), 445 questions in all — with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
- Every CMAS item format, rendered for paper: single-answer multiple choice, multiple select (“select two”), type-in answers, two-part evidence-based items, technology-enhanced multi-part tasks, and the written prose-constructed-response — across both subjects
- Reference support on every test: a Grade 3 Mathematics reference chart at the start of each math test, plus a Grade 3 ELA study reference and plain-language guidance for scoring the written responses
- 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, rounding, and comparing numbers within 1,000
- Multi-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping
- Multiplication and division within 100, including equal groups, arrays, and word problems
- Fractions on a number line, equivalent fractions, and comparing fractions
- Telling time to the minute and solving elapsed-time problems
- Measurement: liquid volume, mass, and length to the nearest quarter inch
- Area and perimeter of rectangles and composite figures in real-world problems
- Two-dimensional shapes, polygons, quadrilaterals, and their attributes
- Interpreting and creating picture graphs, bar graphs, and line plots
- Two-step word problems and multi-part reasoning
Topics covered — English Language Arts
- Main idea, central message and theme, and the key details that support them
- Character, setting, and plot in literary stories, and how characters change
- Author’s purpose and point of view, and text features such as headings, captions, and tables
- 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
- Comparing two texts on the same topic
- Grammar and conventions: verb tense, subject-verb agreement, capitalization, commas, and apostrophes
- Written response: developing an idea with details and evidence from the passage, organized with 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 CMAS 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.
