Modifications are being made to Bethlehem Area School District's middle school math curriculum.

The school board voted unanimously May 18 to change the curriculum in an effort to align with Pennsylvania Core Standards.

Starting in 2017, high school students will be required to pass three Keystone exams to graduate. Board members said the changes to the curriculum will likely ultimately help students on these exams.

The modifications are also being made to help middle school students on the required Pennsylvania System of School Assessments, or PSSAs.

Middle school students will not take algebra classes until eighth grade, with the exception of some seventh graders. The new curriculum will include other math subjects included on the PSSAs that are unrelated to algebra, such as geometry, according to the board.

Another benefit of the modifications, according to board members, is that students will not be rushed through the all-important Algebra I class.

Similar changes have recently been made within area elementary schools to better align with Pennsylvania Core Standards.

In other news, the board hired Michael Alogna II as the new Freemansburg ES principal.

He was previously the principal for two years at St. Anne School in Bethlehem. His annual salary is slightly more than $93,000.