Albert Lea Area Schools will employ a new program this year to help students prepare for the ACT.

The district will offer the John Baylor Prep ACT course beginning Feb. 29 until April 18, the day before the statewide ACT test.

The course will run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7 to 7:50 a.m.

A parent meeting in connection with the program is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Albert Lea High School Auditorium.

The course involves 12 videos that cover each of the four sections of the ACT: English, mathematics, science and reading. Students can view the videos either at home or in school.

Students will have time built in during the morning course to watch the videos and work on the homework with an instructor.

Superintendent Mike Funk said districts who have employed the approach have seen ACT test scores improve.

“We figure this is an opportunity to help them do better,” Funk said.

Director of Secondary Services Kathy Niebuhr said a licensed teacher will be in the classroom to guide students and assist them with questions but will not be delivering the bulk of the instruction.

The district discussed the program with Princeton Public Schools Superintendent Julia Espe, who described the success of the program.

The district has had ACT prep courses offered to students prior to statewide testing that included individual online online preparation done by students and a course offered through Community Education.

Niebuhr said if the program is successful, the district would like to consider adding pieces of the program to multiple classes in the future.

She hopes the program will improve student ACT scores.

“We know that students who attain higher scores on the ACT have not only access to different educational institutions, but they also have access to additional financial packages and scholarships offered by educational institutions and organizations,” Niebuhr said.