Last September, it was reported that about 50% of charter schools in the state were proficient, hitting the benchmarks mandated by No Child Left Behind. Four months later, that number has dipped to 28%. Philly's percentage drop was about the same. What happened? Well, last September, the state--without permission from the federal government--began using a controversial, locally-based method of calculating charter school proficiency that used "broader, less-stringent" criteria than used for traditional public schools. After the PA School Boards Association complained, the feds forced Pennsylvania to re-calculate, using the criteria it always had. Using the new, more accurate numbers, PA's traditional