Built to feel like test day. Written to teach the why behind every answer.
This book gives your fourth grader five full-length practice tests for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Grade 4 Mathematics exam: 215 items in all, written and reviewed by educators and aligned line-for-line to the Pennsylvania Mathematics Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content.
Every test in this book mirrors what your child will actually see on PSSA test day: the same 43-item operational load, the same two-section structure with a clear STOP marker between sections, the same item-level calculator rule (no calculator on Question 1; a 4-function calculator allowed on every other item), and the very same Formula and Reference Sheet that PDE provides on the real exam.
About the question count: and why field-test items matter. On the official PSSA Grade 4 Math, 43 items count toward your student’s score: 40 multiple-choice or technology-enhanced items plus 3 four-part open-ended items. The real test booklet also includes a small number of unscored *field-test* items that the state uses to develop future exams. Students never know which items count and which are field test, so on test day every question must be worked with full focus and full energy. Each practice test in this book delivers the full 43-item scored load: the same item count, the same time on task, the same two-section pacing: so your child builds the realistic *endurance* the PSSA demands.
What’s inside:
Topics covered (Grade 4 PSSA Math Assessment Anchors):
Why parents and teachers choose Smart Stars:
How to use this book. The PSSA is *untimed*, but PDE recommends about 78 minutes per section. Take one test at a time under realistic conditions in a quiet space. Make sure your student has a pencil, scratch paper, a protractor, and a 4-function calculator on hand: and do *not* use the calculator on Question 1. Pause at the STOP marker between Sections 1 and 2, then continue. Score with the quick-reference answer key, then read every explanation: even for questions answered correctly. Space the five tests over several weeks for the best results.
Search “Smart Stars Pennsylvania PSSA” on Amazon for additional Pennsylvania test prep titles, and “Smart Stars Grade 4” for our fourth-grade titles in every state we publish.