Schools were eligible for the awards based upon improved performance in two areas -- achievement and effort, according to a news release from Matthew W. Nelson, Keystone's director of education.

Achievement is measured by performance on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test and, for vocational-technical schools, job-related placements. Effort is measured by a school's attendance rates, Nelson said.

To qualify for an achievement improvement award, a school's 2001 PSSA average reading and mathematics scores had to be at least 50 points higher than its baseline score. To qualify for an effort improvement award, a school's attendance rate had to be at least 0.75 percent higher than its baseline rate, Nelson said.

The charter school's attendance rate increased 2 percent, from 89.4 to 91.4 percent for the 2000-2001 school year, Nelson said.

Keystone joins 823 other schools in Pennsylvania that received school-performance awards. The average 2001 PSSA achievement improvement award is $25,916; the average job-related placement improvement award is S23,288; and the average attendance improvement award is $20,353, according to the news release.

Gov. Mark Schweiker has earmarked significant money specifically for the School Performance Funding Program component to further raise academic achievement and reward attendance effort throughout the commonwealth, the release said.