Fourth grade brings a new kind of writing to the New Jersey state test. For the first time, students may be asked to read a few short sources and write an opinion essay, backing up what they think with facts from the texts. Add longer passages, plays and poems, two-account comparisons and a “select three” question, and the NJSLA-A asks a lot of a nine-year-old. If you want NJSLA 4th grade ELA test prep that covers all of it in one place, this workbook was made for you.
The New Jersey NJSLA-A 4th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook is aligned to the 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts and built from the NJSLA-A blueprint published by the New Jersey Department of Education. Every story, article and question is original, and a certified teacher reviewed the book.
It comes as a Printable PDF, so you print just the pages you need for whole-class lessons, small groups, centers or homework. Read on for what’s on the test, what’s in the book, a look-inside video and a simple month-by-month plan.
- An 18-question pretest, a Learn It lesson + test-style practice for all 20 standards, mixed review, test-taking strategies, 2 full-length practice tests and a 235-answer key.
- All three 4th grade writing types: a story, an informative essay and an opinion essay from sources.
- Printable PDF, 268 full-color pages, $9.99.
- Bubble answer sheets, writing rubrics, progress trackers and class data sheets make scoring quick.
- Free with a Have Fun Teaching membership.
What’s on the NJSLA-A 4th grade ELA test?
The NJSLA-A is New Jersey’s adaptive state test. In 4th grade, ELA has a reading unit and a writing unit, both taken on the computer. A paper test is used only as an accommodation.
Unit 1: Reading
Two 75-minute sessions with four passage sets and 33 questions, split about evenly between literary and informational texts.
It adapts
The reading unit is computer-adaptive, so questions get harder or easier based on how students answer.
Words in context
Four to six vocabulary questions live inside the passages: roots and affixes, similes, metaphors, idioms and proverbs.
Unit 2: Writing
One extended task in 90 minutes. In 4th grade it can be a story, an informative essay or an opinion essay.
Two writing scores
Composition (ideas, organization, use of sources) and Conventions (grammar, capitals, punctuation, spelling), up to 4 points each.
One spring window
April 19 to May 21, 2027. Your district chooses the testing days inside it.
Reading questions come in several formats: multiple choice, “choose two” questions, one “select three of six” summary question, two-part Part A/Part B questions, select-a-sentence questions and table matches. One reading set is a pair of passages, such as two accounts of the same event or a story and a play from two cultures with a similar theme. On the opinion task, students read two or three sources, take a side and support their reasons with facts and details, telling which source each one came from.
What’s inside the NJSLA 4th grade ELA test prep workbook
The book runs in teaching order. Find out what students already know, teach the gaps one standard at a time, mix the skills together, then rehearse the full test twice.
Inside · PretestPretest18 questions and a scoring guide that points to the standards to teach first.
Inside · Learn ItLearn It pagesA short model text, a worked example and a tip for every standard.
Inside · ReviewMixed ReviewPaired passages and 18 mixed questions keep earlier skills fresh.
Inside · Practice testFull practice testsTwo tests of 34 questions: Unit 1 Reading in two sessions, then Unit 2 Writing.
The writing section gets extra room because 4th grade adds a genre. There are Learn It lessons with model texts for a story, an informative essay and an opinion essay, and each one is followed by a full practice task with sources, a checklist, a Pre-Writing Page and lined final copy pages. On the practice tests, Test 1 asks for a story and Test 2 for an opinion essay built on three sources, with rubrics so you can score Composition and Conventions the way the state does.
Take a look inside (video)
Want to flip through it first? This short look-inside video pages through the whole workbook, from the pretest to the class data sheets at the back.
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 each part fits into a 4th grade week.
Print the pretest
One sitting shows which standards each reader needs most.
Small groups + centers
Pull the Learn It and practice pages for the skills each group needs.
Test day rehearsal
Give the two reading sessions on separate days, then the writing unit on a third.
Track the growth
Score with the answer key and rubrics, then fill in the trackers and class data sheets.
Opinion writing from sources: what’s new in 4th grade
Third graders on the NJSLA-A write stories and informative pieces. Starting in 4th grade, the writing task can also be an opinion essay. Students read sources that look at a question from different sides, such as whether a town should dim its streetlights late at night, and then argue for one answer. A strong response:
- states a clear opinion in the introduction,
- gives reasons, each backed by facts or details from the sources,
- says which source each fact came from,
- uses linking words such as because, for example and in addition,
- ends with a conclusion that matches the opinion.
The workbook teaches this step by step. A Learn It lesson walks through a model opinion essay, a practice task gives two sources to plan and write from, and Practice Test 2 ends with a full three-source opinion task like the one on test day.
5 tips to get 4th graders ready for the NJSLA-A
Ask for the proof
Make “Which sentence shows that?” a daily habit. Part B questions ask for exactly that.
Take words apart
Roots and affixes like tele-, photo- and -ology unlock new words when there’s no dictionary.
Read plays and poems too
Students should know cast lists, stage directions and stanzas, and how they differ from a story.
Pick a side, then prove it
Quick class debates, each backed by a fact from a text, build the opinion essay muscle.
Build stamina
Passages run up to about 750 words. Stretch independent reading time a little each month.
Printable PDF: $9.99, or free with a membership
The workbook comes as one Printable PDF with all 268 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.
When do 4th graders take the NJSLA-A ELA test?
The 2027 spring window runs from April 19 to May 21, and grades 3 through 5 have no fall testing. Districts choose their own days inside the window, so check your school calendar. Here’s one way to spread your NJSLA 4th 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 standards 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 suggests.
Winter: the three essays
Work through the story, informative and opinion lessons, one genre at a time.
March: Practice Test 1
Run both units like test day, story task included, then reteach what slipped.
Early April: Practice Test 2
A second full run, ending with the opinion essay, builds stamina and shows real growth.
Test day: celebrate
They’ve already seen every question type. Tell them so.
For the official test details, visit the New Jersey Department of Education NJSLA-A page. Our New Jersey test prep page lists every New Jersey workbook, and test prep by state keeps every state 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.
4th grade ELA worksheets to pair with it
When the pretest flags a skill, a one-page worksheet adds another round of practice. These three match big 4th grade skills on the test.
4th · WorksheetTopic, Opinion and EvidencePlan an opinion with reasons and evidence, the same moves as the opinion essay.
4th · WorksheetVoice and Point of ViewFirst person or third person? Tell who is telling the story.
4th · WorksheetCompare and ContrastCompare a fiction and a nonfiction text on one topic, like a paired passage.
Keep exploring
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NJSLA 4th grade ELA test prep: questions teachers ask
Are these real NJSLA-A questions?
No. Have Fun Teaching wrote every story, play, article and question from scratch, and a certified teacher reviewed the book. It is aligned to the 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts and built from the published NJSLA-A blueprint, but it is an independent practice resource and does not use real test items.
How long is the NJSLA-A 4th grade ELA test?
The reading unit is two 75-minute sessions with four passage sets and 33 questions. The writing unit is one 90-minute session with a single extended writing task. Many schools give the units on different days, and the two practice tests in this workbook are set up the same way.
Do 4th graders write an opinion essay on the NJSLA-A?
They can. Starting in 4th grade, the writing task may be a story, an informative essay or an opinion essay based on two or three sources. The workbook practices all three, and Practice Test 2 ends with a full opinion task from three sources, scored for Composition and Conventions.
How much does the workbook cost?
The Printable PDF is $9.99 for all 268 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.
Is the NJSLA-A test online or on paper?
The NJSLA-A is taken on the computer, and the reading unit is adaptive, so the questions adjust as students answer. A paper test is used only as an accommodation. The printable practice tests let students rehearse the same question types, passages and writing task on paper at their desks.
Walk into test day ready.
Start with the pretest this week, and have every standard covered by spring.
NJSLA and NJSLA-A are trademarks of the New Jersey Department of Education. Have Fun Teaching, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the New Jersey Department of Education. Not an official test.
