Free Printable STAAR Practice Tests 4th Grade- Math and Reading

If your child is a 4th grade student at a Texas public or charter school, you’ve probably heard of STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness). These tests are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state-mandated curriculum standards.

STAAR testing begins in 3rd grade and continues through high school. 4th grade students are required to take STAAR Math, Reading, and Writing assessments.

In this article, we’ll focus on providing information about 4th grade Math and Reading assessments. We’re also providing a link to a STAAR practice test for 4th graders to help your child feel confident and prepared for STAAR testing.

Click the button below to get a practice test, plus you will receive a bonus PDF "5 Top Tips to Use Practice Tests Effectively" to help your child study for the test.

STAAR Practice Test Grade 4

4th Grade STAAR Test Basics

The state of Texas initially implemented the STAAR program during the 2011-2012 school year. The tests are designed to assess how well students have mastered the skills and knowledge described in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Each individual assessment is aligned with a specific set of readiness standards, which are the TEKS standards identified as most essential for that particular subject and grade.

4th grade readiness standards are selected for being essential to success in 4th grade, as well as key to preparedness for 5th grade.

All STAAR exams, including 4th grade Math and Reading, have a four-hour time limit. These tests are administered in paper-pencil format.

STAAR Math 4th Grade

The skills that will be assessed on the STAAR Math 4th grade exam are divided into four reporting categories.

These categories are:

Numerical Representations and Relationships

Computations and Algebraic Relationships

Geometry and Measurement

Data Analysis and Personal Financial Literacy

As with all STAAR tests, students are allowed up to four hours to complete the assessment, and it is administered in paper-pencil format.

In total, the 4th grade Math test consists of 34 questions: 31 multiple choice and 3 griddable questions.

A calculator is not permitted on this assessment.

Let’s take a look at the types of questions your child will be asked within each of the four reporting categories.

Numerical Representations and Relationships

Questions in this category assess a student’s ability to represent and manipulate numbers and expressions.

Fourth grade students should be able to do the following:

Understand the value of each place-value position as 10x the position to the right and 1/10th the value of the position to the left

Represent the value of the digit in whole numbers through 1,000,000,000 and decimals to the hundredths using expanded notation and numerals

Round, order, and compare whole numbers, and use the comparison symbols >, =, or <

STAAR 4th Grade - Compare Whole Numbers sample

Represent decimals using concrete and visual models and money

Compare and order decimals using concrete and visual models

Relate decimals to fractions

Determine the corresponding decimal or fraction to a specific location on a number line

Decompose a fraction in more than one way into a sum of fractions with the same denominator using concrete and pictorial models and recording results with symbolic representations

Determine if two given fractions are equivalent using a variety of methods

Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators and represent the comparison using the symbols >, =, or <

STAAR 4th Grade - Compare Fractions sample

Your child will be asked 9 questions on Numerical Representations and Relationships on the STAAR Math 4th grade test.

Computations and Algebraic Relationships

To be successful on this question type, your child must demonstrate an understanding of how to perform operations and represent algebraic relationships.

For fourth grade students, the following skills are required:

Represent and solve addition and subtraction of fractions with equal denominators using objects and pictorial models

Evaluate the reasonableness of sums and differences of fractions using benchmark fractions 0, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1, referring to the same whole

Add and subtract whole numbers and decimals to the hundredth place using the standard algorithm

STAAR 4th Grade - Add/Subtract Whole Numbers sample

Determine products of a number and 10 or 100 using properties of operations and place value understanding

Represent the product of 2 two-digit numbers using arrays, area models, or equations, including perfect squares through 15 by 15

Multiply up to a four-digit number by a one-digit number and multiply a two-digit number by a two-digit number using a variety of strategies and algorithms

Represent the quotient of up to a four-digit whole number divided by a one-digit whole number using arrays, area models, or equations

Divide up to a four-digit dividend by a one-digit divisor using various strategies and algorithms

 - Division -STAAR 4th Grade sample QUESTION

Round to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000 or use compatible numbers to estimate solutions involving whole numbers

Solve with fluency one- and two-step problems involving multiplication and division, including interpreting remainders.

Represent multi-step problems involving the four operations with whole numbers using strip diagrams and equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity

Represent problems using an input-output table and numerical expressions to generate a number pattern that follows a given rule representing the relationship of the values in the resulting sequence and their position in the sequence

STAAR 4th Grade sample QUESTION - Multi-Step Problem example

In total, there are 11 Computations and Algebraic Relationships questions on the STAAR Math 4th grade assessment.

Geometry and Measurement

These questions measure the ability to represent and apply geometry and measurement concepts.

By the end of 4th grade, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:

Solve problems related to perimeter and area of rectangles

Identify points, lines, line segments, rays, angles, and perpendicular and parallel lines

Identify and draw one or more lines of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure

STAAR 4th Grade sample QUESTION - Symmetry sample

Identify acute, right, and obtuse triangles

Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size.

Determine the approximate measure of angles in degrees

Angle Measurement -- STAAR 4th Grade sample QUESTION

Draw an angle with a given measure

Determine the measure of an unknown angle formed by two non-overlapping adjacent angles given one or both angle measures

Identify relative sizes of measurement units

Convert units of measurement within the same measurement system when given other equivalent measures represented in a table

Solve problems that deal with measurements of length, intervals of time, liquid volumes, mass, and money using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division as appropriate

STAAR 4th Grade EXAMPLE QUESTION - Length Measurement sample

Your child will be expected to answer 10 Geometry and Measurement questions on this assessment.

Data Analysis and Personal Financial Literacy

For these questions, students are expected to represent and analyze data and describe and apply personal financial concepts.

For fourth grade students, this means demonstrating the following abilities:

Represent data on a frequency table, dot plot, or stem-and-leaf plot marked with whole numbers and fractions

Solve one- and two-step problems using data in whole number, decimal, and fraction form in a frequency table, dot plot, or stem-and-leaf plot

4th Grade STAAR EXAMPLE QUESTION - Frequency Table Problem sample

Distinguish between fixed and variable expenses

Calculate profit in a given situation

4th Grade STAAR EXAMPLE QUESTION - Profit sample

Describe the basic purposes of financial institutions including keeping money safe, borrowing money, and lending

This is the least-tested category on STAAR Math 4th Grade, so your child will only be asked 4 questions measuring these skills.

If you feel your child needs additional 4th grade STAAR math practice, be sure to check out the STAAR practice tests 4th grade.

STAAR Reading 4th Grade

This test includes 36 multiple choice questions on the following three topics:

Understanding and Analysis Across Genres

Understanding/Analysis of Literary Texts

Understanding/Analysis of Informational Texts

Your child will have up to four hours to complete this paper-pencil assessment.

Below, we’ll dive into the specifics of each of the three reporting categories for STAAR Reading 4th grade.

Understanding and Analysis Across Genres

To succeed with these questions, your child must demonstrate the ability to understand and analyze texts from a wide range of genres.

4th grade students should be able to:

Determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Latin 

Use context to determine the meaning of unknown words, including words with multiple meanings

Identify similarities and differences between the events and characters' experiences in a fictional work and the actual events and experiences described in an author's biography or autobiography

Make connections between literary and informational texts with similar ideas and provide textual evidence

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Connections Between Text sample

4th grade students are asked 8 questions in this category.

Understanding/Analysis of Literary Texts

Students read literary passages and answer questions that demonstrate the ability to understand and analyze these texts.

Fourth grade students may be tested on the following skills:

Summarize and explain theme

Compare and contrast characters in traditional and classical literature

Explain how the structural elements of poetry (rhyme, meter, stanzas, line breaks) relate to form (lyrical poetry, free verse)

Describe the structural elements particular to dramatic literature

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Dramatic Literature sample

Sequence and summarize major plot events and describe their influence on future events

Describe the interactions of characters, including their relationships and changes they undergo

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Characters sample

Differentiate between first and third person

Identify the author’s use of similes and metaphors to produce imagery

Make inferences about texts and use textual evidence to support understanding

Summarize information in text, maintaining meaning and logical order

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Summary example

The STAAR Reading 4th grade assessment includes 15 questions related to literary texts.

Understanding/Analysis of Informational Texts

The skills assessed by this question type are very similar to the previous category. However, students must answer these questions based on informational texts instead.

Additional skills required for 4th grade students include:

Distinguish fact from opinion and explain how to verify what is fact

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Opinion example

Describe explicit and implicit relationships among ideas in texts organized by cause-and-effect, sequence, or comparison

Use multiple text features (e.g., guide words, headings, topic and concluding sentences) to gain an overview of the contents of text and to locate information

4th Grade STAAR sample QUESTION - Headings sample

Determine the sequence of activities needed to carry out a procedure

Explain factual information presented graphically (charts, graphs, diagrams, illustrations)

This assessment includes 13 questions related to understanding and analyzing informational texts.

If you feel your child would benefit from additional 4th grade STAAR reading practice, working with your child on the released STAAR practice tests 4th grade can be extremely beneficial in helping your child build confidence and familiarity with test content.

How to Prepare for 4th Grade STAAR Tests

STAAR tests are directly aligned with the curriculum that your child studies throughout the school year (TEKS), so encourage your child to pay attention in classes, complete classwork and homework, take notes, etc.

If your child seems to struggle, particularly with reading or mathematics, it’s advisable to ask the teacher for additional help or consider hiring a tutor.

Additionally, one of the most effective ways to prepare for any standardized test is by answering sample questions and completing practice tests. In this case, the 4th grade STAAR practice tests are an excellent resource to use with your child.

As you go over practice tests, be sure to discuss why right answers are correct and wrong answers are incorrect.

Using these tips and information should help your child feel confident and prepared heading into 4th grade STAAR testing.