That’s what the Charlotte Observer asked Lindalyn Kakadelis when she was interviewed for a story on the gap between the 2002 NAEP proficiency percentage for North Carolina (32%) and the proficiency percentage (81%) achieved in the state’s ABCs accountability program. Kakadelis discussed trying to align the state’s cut scores to better match NAEP and noted that “proficiency” has become more of a political question than whether a child has mastered the content of a particular grade level.