Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School was ranked as achieving the best overall performance last spring on an Advanced Placement test in macroeconomics. The ranking is part of a report released Jan. 25 by the college board which details performance on college level-level Advanced Placement tests.

According to Trevor Packer, executive director of the College Board's AP program, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School has the "strongest AP macroeconomics course in the world among schools in (their) size range," based on the number of students who score 3 or higher.

"I think it is extraordinary to be able to say that we have the best AP macroeconomics program in the world," said Dr. Joseph Hayward, Interim principal at POBJFKHS.

Dr. Hayward credits the success on the one teacher who POB has teaching macroeconomics, Jane Behrens. "We can almost say that we have the best teacher in the world," he said. "This is a reflection on her, because when she first came here eight years ago, we only had two sections of macro-economics; and now it has quadrupled in the time she has been here."

Although the statistics are based on the number of students who take the course and score 3 or higher on the test, according to Dr. Hayward, a vast majority of the students score 4 or 5 on the test.

"This is quite a distinction," said Dr. Hayward. "We have an extraordinary faculty and students, and when one of our teachers is showcased like this, it just reminds us how fortunate we are."

The report also ranked New York State's high school students as No. 1 nationally in achievement on the Advanced Placement tests.

-Denise Nash