Arkansas Practice Tests
Arkansas Practice Books and Flashcards
Arkansas's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, ATLAS covers English language arts, math and science every year. The tests are given online and are adaptive, so the questions each student sees are chosen to match how that student is doing. ATLAS is untimed: students may take as much time as they need, and the times below are the state's estimates. Each summative test should be finished within one school day, and the tests are given at the end of the school year.
English Language Arts
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3 to 8 | Online; two tests, reading and language, and writing; the writing test is one text-based writing task | Untimed; about 45 to 50 minutes for reading and language, and 50 to 60 minutes for writing | Reading fundamentals and vocabulary (27%), reading literary text (27%), reading informational text (27%), writing and language (19%) |
Each grade's reading passages include one single literary passage, one paired literary passage, one single informational passage and one paired informational passage. Writing is scored on production and style, and on conventions and structure.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Online; adaptive; no calculator | Untimed; about 60 to 70 minutes | Number and place value (38%), computation and algebraic reasoning (31%), geometry and measurement, and data analysis (31%) |
| Grades 4 and 5 | Online; adaptive; no calculator | Untimed; about 60 to 70 minutes | Computation and algebraic reasoning (38%), number and place value (31%), geometry and measurement, and data analysis (31%) |
| Grade 6 | Online; adaptive; two sections, the first without a calculator and the second with a scientific calculator | Untimed; about 60 to 70 minutes | Proportional relationships and algebra (38%), number concepts and computations (36%), geometry and measurement, and statistics and probability (26%) |
| Grade 7 | Online; adaptive; scientific calculator for the whole test | Untimed; about 60 to 70 minutes | Proportional relationships and algebra (36%), number concepts and computations (32%), geometry and measurement, and statistics and probability (32%) |
| Grade 8 | Online; adaptive; scientific calculator for the whole test | Untimed; about 60 to 70 minutes | Geometry and measurement, and statistics and probability (36%), number concepts and computations, and algebra (32%), functions (32%) |
Calculators are not allowed in grades 3 to 5; a test is invalidated if one is used. Where a calculator is allowed, students may use the Desmos calculator built into the test or a handheld scientific calculator. Students who take Algebra I or Geometry in grade 7 or 8 may take that end-of-course test instead of the grade-level math test.
Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Online; adaptive; multi-part item clusters plus stand-alone questions; no calculator | Untimed; about 75 minutes | Life science (38%), physical science (31%), earth and space science (31%) |
| Grades 4 and 5 | Online; adaptive; multi-part item clusters plus stand-alone questions; no calculator | Untimed; about 75 minutes | Physical science (37.5%), earth and space science (37.5%), life science (25%) |
| Grade 6 | Online; adaptive; multi-part item clusters plus stand-alone questions; scientific calculator | Untimed; about 75 minutes | Life science (37.5%), earth and space science (37.5%), physical science (25%) |
| Grade 7 | Online; adaptive; multi-part item clusters plus stand-alone questions; scientific calculator | Untimed; about 75 minutes | Life science (38%), physical science (31%), earth and space science (31%) |
| Grade 8 | Online; adaptive; multi-part item clusters plus stand-alone questions; scientific calculator | Untimed; about 75 minutes | Physical science (37.5%), life science (37.5%), earth and space science (25%) |
Science questions are three-dimensional: each one combines science content with science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts. Engineering and technology standards are tested inside the three science areas but are not reported on their own.