The boys at a Spring Valley high school will soon have few distractions in class.

The Ramapo Freshman Center is going to start offering all-boys? classes in September. School officials say the pilot program is aimed at closing the achievement gap between young men and women. The school district says high school boys are lagging behind girls in test scores and graduation rates. East Ramapo wants to try some boys-only courses in core subjects -- English, math, science and social studies.

School officials hope it will mean fewer distractions for their male students and will result in better test scores in the future. They also believe boys-only classes might help with the discipline and character of the students. Co-ed classes will still be offered for girls and those boys who don't want to participate.