Pretest
For the pretest, the Full-Length Test 1 was used. (See Appendix B for a copy). This test was provided by Scholastic Inc. as part of the Read XL program. The test consisted of six separate sections which required the student to read a segment and answer multiple-choice questions. The six sections included one article, two stories and three passages, including one map, one pie chart, and one guideline. The students were given one section of the full-length test each day. They read the article, passage, or story and then answered a variety of multiple-choice questions on an answer sheet (See Appendix C). The answer sheet was numbered 1-45 and each number was followed by four bubbles. The student was to choose the correct answer on the test and fill in the bubble that coincided with his/her answer. Each section of the test averaged seven to eight questions, and the students were given thirty minutes to complete it. Prior to the administration of the pretest, both the principal and the parents were informed about the students' participation in the Read XL program. (See Appendices D and E for copies of the letters). Weekly Selection Assessment At the end of each week, or unit, the researcher used a Weekly Selection Assessment (See Appendix F for a copy). This assessment was developed by Scholastic Inc. to be used in conjunction with the Read XL anthologies. The weekly selection assessment was a set of four questions that related to the anthology that the class had read the week prior. Each of the four assessment questions was followed by four possible multiple-choice answers. The student was to read the question and then fill in the bubble that coincided with the correct choice. The students were given approximately twenty minutes to complete the weekly selection assessment.
Post test
As a post test, the researcher repeated the Scholastic's Full-Length Test 1 at the end of the twelve-weeks. The same test was used as a post test in order to get an accurate measurement of any gains or losses made using the Read XL program. The format of the test was divided into six sections which included one article, two stories, and three passages. Each section was followed by seven to eight multiple-choice questions. The students completed one section of the test a day for six days. Each student was given an answer sheet that was numbered 1-45 and each number was followed by four bubbles. The student was to locate the correct answer in the article, passage, or story and highlight it with a highlighter. They were then instructed to find the correct answer from the four choices and fill in the corresponding bubble on their answer sheet. The students were given thirty minutes to complete each section. (See Appendix B for a copy of Full-Length Test 1).