Procedures
Research question number 4 questioned: Did the use of the Read XL program improve the comprehension skills of seventh grade at-risk students? A pretest, weekly selection assessments, and a posttest were used to determine the answer to this question. Before the collection of data could begin, it had to be determined which students would be involved in the Read XL program. To determine which students were at-risk, a copy of the sixth grade proficiency test scores was obtained. All of the present seventh graders had taken the test. An intervention list of those students who did not pass the reading portion of the proficiency test was created. These students became the research group. The data collection took place over a twelve-week period and began with the use of a pretest. On the first day of class, the teacher researcher passed out an answer sheet that had been created by Scholastic, Incorporated. This answer sheet was designed to use in conjunction with Full-Length Test 1. Fifteen copies were made by the teacher researcher with the permission of Scholastic, Incorporated (See Appendix G and H for a copy), and distributed to each student. The students were instructed to write their names and the date at the top of their answer sheets. The students were then given a copy of Full-Length Test 1. Full-Length Test 1 was also copied by the teacher researcher with permission from Scholastic, Incorporated. The test was divided into six sections. The first section was an article and the second section was a story. The next three sections were passages that contained a map, a pie chart, and a guideline, respectively. The last section of the test was another story. Full-Length Test 1 was given over a period of six days. The students completed one section a day. The teacher research made sure every student had a copy of the test and an answer sheet before they began reading. The students read through their article, passage, or story, and then completed the multiple-choice questions for that section. They put their answers on their separate answer sheet. Each student was also given a folder to keep his/her test and answer sheet in. After all of the test questions were answered, the students put both their test and answer sheet in their folder and returned it to the teacher researcher. The folders were then handed out the following day to complete the next section. This routine continued until all six sections were completed. The tests were graded and recorded and then put away for future use. Over the next nine weeks the students read a variety of anthologies. They concentrated on one analogy a week and practiced various types of comprehension skills. Each week followed a specific format: On Monday and Tuesday, the teacher researcher prepared the student readers through class discussions and vocabulary study. On Wednesday and Thursday, the teacher 20 researcher guided the student readers through two reading selections. Once the students established a purpose for reading, they were guided to apply comprehension skills and strategies to the text they read. The students were also guided in connecting ideas across the two reading selections. The reading selections varied each week. The types of reading selections included short stories, author profiles, plays, nonfiction, and fiction. Friday of each week was designated as assessment day. Students came into class, took their seats, and cleared their desks. The weekly selection assessment was handed out, and students were instructed to put their names at the top of the paper. The assessment consisted of four multiple-choice comprehension questions. The students read each question and crossed out the answers they knew were wrong and marked the one they felt was correct. After all four questions were answered, each student placed his/her selection assessment in a folder marked 'Read XL' at the front of the classroom. The teacher researcher graded and recorded each student's score weekly. Approximately eight weekly selection assessments were given over the twelve-week period. The posttest was administered during the last week and a half of the twelve-week period. The posttest was the same test as the pretest which was provided by Scholastic, Incorporated. The teacher researcher once again made fifteen copies of the answer sheet as was done for the pretest. Students were never allowed to see their pretest before taking the posttest. Each student was given Full-Length Test 1 and an answer sheet. They read one section a day for six days, however the test-taking format was a bit different for the posttest. The students first read the selection, then they highlighted where in the selection they found the answer to each question. Beside the highlighted marks, the students wrote the question number that the information went with. When the students were done highlighting where they found the answers, they marked their answer sheets with the answer they felt was correct. After all questions were answered, the student placed his/her test and answer sheet in the respective folder and turned it into the teacher 21 researcher. This fondant continued until all six sections were completed. The tests were then graded and recorded. Both the pretest and the posttest scores were recorded on a spreadsheet to determine if the scores had improved.
Data was collected at the end of each reading segment with the use of the weekly selection assessment. The researcher added the first four weekly assessments together and the last four weekly assessments together. These two scores were then recorded on the spreadsheet. The data received from the tests and weekly selection assessments were analyzed. The individual scores were noted, as was any improvements or change from the pretest to the posttest, and from the first four weekly selection assessments to the last four weekly selection assessments. The data was then organized to determine the results of the study.