Create Interactive CASAS Sample Quizzes with Gemini AI
Details
Author:
Adapted from Rhoads, M. (2026, May 1). Beyond static examples: Using AI to create interactive examples [Conference presentation]. CCAE State Conference, San Diego, CA, United States.
Computer and projector, Mobile devices for students, Computer, Desktop Text Document
Activity Description
Create interactive and engaging CASAS sample quizzes tailored to your students' interests and content area needs using Google's Gemini AI!
Preparation
Check the website to ensure it is not blocked at your site.
Read through the lesson plan.
Print and make copies of any handouts.
How-To
Note: This lesson was written in 2026. As AI improves at such a rapid speed, it will become easier to do this in the future with less effort. However, if you are willing to invest a little time, the results are amazing and you'll have a CASAS practice quiz tailored to your students' specific interests and needs!
Step 1: The prompt
To create an interactive quiz, you're going to ask AI to generate HTML code and you'll convert that code into a simple website. This sounds more complicated than it actually is.
First, go to gemini.google.com. (Note, this will also work on most other AI sites, like Diffit, etc.)
The AI prompt is key here. Type your instructions in the prompt window. As you develop your prompt, think about the following factors:
the types of questions you'd like (You can ask AI to use questions similar to the ones that the students will see on their CASAS exam or ask it to generate questions related to the current topic of your text unit, like the Civil War, fruits and vegetables, anything!)
the types of text to generate (email, flyer, medicine label, paragraph, article, etc.)
the difficulty level (AI knows the CASAS reading levels well: A - E.)
The content areas: vocabulary, details, main idea, inference, and point of view (Check your latest CASAS report to see what areas your students need the most help in improving.)
Any other factors (length of text, visual style, number of questions, etc.)
Here's a basic prompt that you can use to get started (Rhoads, 2026).
You can get as specific as you want. The more specific your instructions, the better. Here's an example of a very specific and thorough prompt that I gave the AI.
Your prompt doesn't have to be that detailed. However, the more information that you provide, the better the outcome.
Notice the last instruction: "Please ask me any questions that you have about these instructions before generating the HTML file." This can be very helpful as the AI is very good at pre-emptively catching potential problems with your prompt.
Step 2: HTML Code
Once you have answered any questions from the AI, ask it to generate the HTML file. It will do it very quickly and it will look something like this:
Just as you select text in a Word or Google doc, you're going to select all of the coding, from the first line (<!DOCTYPE html>) to the last line of code and copy it (Ctrl + C).
Step 3: Create a Desktop Text Document
1. Right-click on your desktop, select 'New', and click 'Text Document' from the pop-up menu.
2. Rename the text document (if you'd like). Double click on the icon to open it. Then, in the box, paste the HTML code (Ctrl + V).
3. Click 'File', 'Save as', and select the folder where you'd like to save the file.
In the 'file name' window, type the name that you'd like to save it as (i.e. CASAS Sample Quiz) and type the extension '.html' to get a file name like this: CASAS Sample Quiz.html.
In the 'Save as type' window, select 'All files'. Finally, click 'Save'.
When you do this, it will create an HTML file.
Now, double click on the file and it will open the interactive quiz in a browser window. Viola!
Step 4: Share the File
You can share the quiz with your students by uploading the file to your LMS (Canvas, Schoology, etc.), to a drive that you share with your students, or as an attached file via text or email. Your students can then download the file and open it on their device to take the quiz.
The only drawback is that the program can't be linked to an online gradebook, like in an LMS, because the file can't be opened in an LMS. It will open in a separate tab. You could just have your students self-report their scores since it's just for practice anyway.
To see the example that I created, scroll down to 'View Documents' and click on 'CASAS Sample Quiz'. It will download the file to your device. Once it has downloaded, click it to open the quiz in your browser.
Teacher Tips
It's imperative that you check the quiz for accuracy as well as click on all of the buttons before you share the quiz with your students to ensure that the AI didn't make any errors.
More Ways
If you don't want the quiz to be interactive, you can simply ask the AI bot to generate CASAS sample questions and it will do that. You can print them out or copy the text onto an LMS page.
Again, any chatbot should be able to do this.
Program Areas
ABE: Adult Basic Education
ESL: English as a Second Language
ASE: High School Equivalency Preparation
ASE: High School Diploma
CTE: Career Technical Education
Levels
All Levels
All Levels
View Lesson Plan
Warm-up
Engagement
The "Search & Rescue" Strategy Race:
This activity mimics the scanning and skimming skills needed for the CASAS Reading goals but turns it into a collaborative game.
How to set it up:
The Material: Use a real-world document—something like a grocery store circular, a bus schedule, or a mock utility bill (CASAS loves these).
The Task: Give each pair of students the document and a list of 3–5 specific pieces of information to find (e.g., "What time does the last bus leave?" or "How much is the late fee?").
The Twist: Students are not allowed to read the whole page. They must race to find only the specific answers. Why it works for CASAS prep:
Time Management: It builds the habit of looking for keywords rather than translating every single word.
Confidence: It proves to them that they can find the "right answer" even if they don't understand 100% of the text.
Collaboration: It lowers the "affective filter" (anxiety) by letting them work with a peer before they face the sample questions alone.
(Created with the aid of Google Gemini, 2026)
Introduction
Tell students that they will be learning some test-taking strategies to help them to not only prepare for the CASAS reading exam, but to increase their chances of getting a better score.
Presentation
Engagement
Scroll down to the "View Documents" section of this page and download the "CASAS Test-Taking Strategies" image.
Project it for your students. Go over each step one at a time and, if possible, do examples of each steps using CASAS sample questions. You can find CASAS sample questions online or alternatively, you can use any multiple choice quiz from your text book, a reading comprehension website, etc.
Finally, after your students have read and practiced the final step, model a 'think-aloud' for your students where you answer a multiple choice question following all of the steps from the test-taking guide from start to finish.
Practice
Engagement Enhancement
Have your students download the HTML interactive CASAS sample quiz that you created to their computer, tablet, or phone, and open the file.
They can practice answering the questions using the test-taking strategies that you outlined and demonstrated.
One effective way to do this is by putting the students into groups, having one student do a think-aloud, and the other students providing feedback as to what the student did well and what they could improve the next time.
When they finish the final answer, they could look at the answer and click the "Explain the Thinking Behind the Answer" buttons under the answers to see if they used the test-taking strategies effectively.
Evaluation
Engagement Enhancement
Students can report their quiz results to you or you can create a reporting sheet where students fill in their scores.
Of course, the ultimate evaluation comes when you see their CASAS scores.
Application
Engagement Enhancement Extension
Students will apply these strategies when they take the CASAS test and hopefully, you'll see a bump in benchmarks!
Anchor Standard 1: Academics - Analyze and apply appropriate academic standards required for successful industry sector pathway
completion leading to postsecondary education and employment. Refer to the industry sector alignment
matrix for identification of standards.
Anchor Standard 2: Communications - Language Standard: Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the (career and college) readiness level;
demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Anchor Standard 4: Technology - Writing Standard: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or
shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments and information.
CC BY: This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as
attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.
