It's too early to chart the success or failure of Bishop Noll Institute's first year of single-gender classes, but administrators say from all indications the program has been successful and will continue.

Outgoing Principal Scott Fech created the program this school year for seventh- and eighth-graders as part of the new Prep Academy.

The academy focuses on science, math and language arts. It integrates technology into the curriculum and classroom, and each student uses a tablet-style laptop computer.

Students in the single-sex classrooms study math and science, with the idea being that male and female students learn in different ways and that differing lesson plans better suit students' learning styles.

"We went into the classroom and observed," Fech said. "What we saw is that boys dominated the conversation in math and science. It wasn't that the girls didn't know the answer."

Boys and girls process information differently, Fech said.

"For girls, we give them an explanation, and they process it," he said. "The classes for boys allow them to explore until they get it right.

"It's been very, very interesting to watch. I've enjoyed seeing the girls more active in math and science classes than they previously were."

Fech said the school will have more data to gauge the effectiveness of single-gender classes in about a year.

The concept is catching on elsewhere in the region.

Merrillville Intermediate School will be one of the first public schools to try single-gender classes this fall. The School Board approved a pilot program involving 90 fifth-grades and 90 sixth-graders.