By 5th grade, the Smarter Balanced ELA test asks a lot. Students read longer stories and articles, compare texts, revise a classmate’s draft, listen to short presentations and then plan and write a full article from three sources. If you’re looking for Smarter Balanced 5th grade ELA test prep that covers all of it in one place, this workbook was made for you.
The Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and built from the published Smarter Balanced test design. Every passage and question is original, written in the formats your students will see in the spring, and reviewed by a certified teacher.
One book works in all nine Smarter Balanced states. It’s a Printable PDF, so you can print the pages you need for whole-class lessons, small groups, centers or homework. Below you’ll find what’s inside, a look-inside video and a simple plan for the months before testing.
- An 18-question pretest, a Learn It lesson + test-style practice for all 24 skills, mixed review, test-taking strategies, 2 full-length practice tests and a 279-answer key.
- All four parts of the test: reading, writing, listening and research, plus a Performance Task with a full article to write.
- Printable PDF, 298 full-color pages, $9.99.
- Bubble answer sheets, progress trackers and class data sheets make scoring quick.
- Free with a Have Fun Teaching membership.
What’s inside the Smarter Balanced 5th grade ELA test prep workbook
The workbook follows the order you’d teach it. Find out what students already know, teach the gaps one skill at a time, mix everything together, then rehearse the real thing twice.
Pretest + scoring guide
18 questions and a guide that shows which skills to teach first.
Learn It + practice
A worked example and a tip, then test-style practice, for all 24 skills.
Stories, poems + articles
Key details, theme, word meaning, text structure and comparing texts.
Writing, listening + research
Student drafts to revise and edit, short presentations and research sources.
2 full-length practice tests
39 questions each: a 37-question Part 1 plus a Performance Task.
Answer key + trackers
279 answers, writing rubrics, listening scripts, progress trackers, class data sheets and a certificate.
The question types match the real test: multiple choice, “choose two” questions, two-part Part A/Part B questions, select-a-sentence questions, tables, a short written research answer and a full essay. Once 5th graders have met every format, test day is about the reading and writing, not the question style.
Inside · PretestPretestFind each student’s starting point in one sitting.
Inside · Learn ItLearn It pagesA short story, a worked example and a tip before every practice set.
Inside · ReviewMixed ReviewReading, writing, listening and research, mixed like the real test.
Inside · Practice testFull practice testsTwo 39-question tests, Part 1 plus a Performance Task.
Take a look inside (video)
Want to flip through it before you buy? This short look-inside video walks through the whole workbook, from the pretest to the class data sheets at the back.
What’s on the Smarter Balanced 5th grade ELA test?
The Smarter Balanced ELA test has two parts. Part 1 is computer-adaptive, so the questions adjust as students answer. It covers four areas: reading stories, poems and articles, revising and editing short student drafts, listening to short presentations, and using research sources to answer a question.
Part 2 is the Performance Task. Students read three sources on one topic, write a short research answer, and then plan and write a full article. In this workbook, Practice Test 1 asks for an opinion article and Practice Test 2 an informational article, each with rubrics and sample answers so you know what full credit looks like. Story writing gets its own practice in the Performance Task Writing section.
You read each listening presentation aloud from the scripts at the back while students take notes. Several states, including California, Washington, Delaware, Hawaii and Idaho, give a shorter adjusted Part 1, and Connecticut has no ELA Performance Task. The teacher notes explain how to use the practice tests either way.
How to use the printable workbook in class
Because it’s a PDF, you print only what you need, when you need it. Here’s how teachers tend to use each part.
Print the pretest
One sitting shows you which skills each student needs most.
Small groups + centers
Pull the Learn It and practice pages for the skills your groups need.
Test day rehearsal
Give a practice test with the bubble answer sheets, Part 1 and the Performance Task on different days.
Track the growth
Score with the answer key, then fill in the progress trackers and class data sheets.
Printable PDF: $9.99, or free with a membership
The workbook comes as one Printable PDF with all 298 full-color pages. Print as many copies as your class needs, year after year.
Already a member? The Printable PDF is included with your Have Fun Teaching membership, so you can download it today at no extra cost.
Which states use the Smarter Balanced 5th grade ELA test?
This one workbook serves all nine Smarter Balanced states, even though several of them call the test by another name. Find your state’s testing details and every workbook for it here:
Pick your state
When do 5th graders take the Smarter Balanced ELA test?
Smarter Balanced is an end-of-year test, given in the spring. Each state sets its own window, and in California each district does, usually somewhere between March and June. For the 2026–27 school year, here’s an easy way to spread your Smarter Balanced 5th grade ELA test prep across the year so spring never turns into a cram session.
Now: give the pretest
Score it with the guide and circle the skills each reader needs most.
Fall into winter: teach the gaps
Use one Learn It + practice set a few times a week, in the order your pretest points to.
Winter: mix it up
Mixed review keeps reading, revising, listening and research skills fresh while you teach new units.
Early spring: Practice Test 1
Run it like test day, Performance Task included, then reteach what slipped.
A few weeks later: Practice Test 2
A second full run builds reading and writing stamina and shows real growth.
Test day: celebrate
They’ve seen every question type already. Tell them so.
Districts pick their own days inside the state window, so check your school calendar. To see exactly what 5th graders are expected to learn, read the Common Core State Standards for 5th grade reading. Our test prep by state page keeps every state’s workbooks in one place.
Members: it’s already yours
With a Have Fun Teaching membership, the Printable PDF of this workbook is included, along with every other state test prep workbook PDF and the whole resource library. See membership plans.
5th grade ELA worksheets to pair with it
When the pretest flags a skill, a single-page worksheet is an easy way to add one more round of practice. These three line up with big 5th grade ELA skills on the test.
5th · WorksheetMain Idea WorksheetFind the main idea and the details that support it, a core reading skill on the test.
5th · WorksheetPoetry ResponseRead a poem closely and respond, like the poems in the reading sets.
5th · WorksheetSuffixes Word ListWord parts that help students figure out new words in a passage.
Keep exploring
Get it included with a membership
This workbook, plus 6,500+ resources
Members get the Printable PDF of every state test prep workbook, plus the whole library. Try it free for 3 days.
- Smarter Balanced 5th Grade ELA: Printable PDF included
- Every printable, song and video, Preschool–6th
- Every state test prep workbook PDF
- Unlimited downloads, new resources added every week
Smarter Balanced 5th grade ELA test prep: questions teachers ask
Is this workbook made by Smarter Balanced or my state?
No. Have Fun Teaching wrote every story, article, presentation, student draft and question from scratch, and a certified teacher reviewed the book. It is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and built from the published Smarter Balanced test design, but it is an independent practice resource and does not use real test items.
Which states can use this workbook?
All nine Smarter Balanced states: California (CAASPP), Connecticut, Delaware (DeSSA), the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho (ISAT), Nevada (SBAC), South Dakota and Washington (SBA). Some states give the test another name, but the 5th grade ELA standards and question types are the same, so one workbook covers them all.
How much does the workbook cost?
The Printable PDF is $9.99 for all 298 full-color pages, and you can print as many copies as your class needs. With a Have Fun Teaching membership, the PDF is included at no extra cost, along with the Printable PDF of every other state test prep workbook and the rest of the library.
How does the workbook handle the listening questions?
Every practice test has listening sets, just like the real test. You read each short presentation aloud from the scripts at the back of the book, and students take notes and answer the questions. They never see the script, so they practice listening for key details the same way they will on test day.
Does it include the Performance Task?
Yes. Each practice test ends with a Performance Task: a topic, three short sources, a written research answer and a full article. Test 1 asks for an opinion article and Test 2 an informational article, scored with rubrics and sample answers. Connecticut gives no ELA Performance Task, so teachers there can use it as writing practice.
Walk into test day ready.
Start with the pretest this week, and have every skill covered by spring.
Smarter Balanced® is a trademark of The Regents of the University of California. Have Fun Teaching, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium or any state department of education.
