Countywide : 11 Secondary Schools Nominated for Awards

Eleven Orange County secondary schools are among 120 California schools nominated by the state for 1987-88 awards of distinction.

Chosen from a pool of 800, the senior high schools--chosen by the state Department of Education--were rated for high performance or improvement in test scores, academic course enrollment and dropout rates.

Nominated schools that want to win the award are now required to apply to a committee of state and local educators. They must provide information on curriculum, instructional practices, staff development and school activities. Site visitations will begin in January, and final award selection will be announced in April.

According to Bill Honig, state superintendent of public instruction, the Distinguished School Awards program was started last year to both recognize schools that have pushed for excellence and to encourage schools to continue to strive for higher-quality education.

The committee compares schools with similar socioeconomic student populations. As a result, schools in the same district may not necessarily compete.

Orange County high schools nominated are Fullerton, Sunny Hills and Troy high schools in the Fullerton Joint Union School District; Marina in Huntington Beach Union High School District; Irvine and University in the Irvine Unified School District.

In the Los Alamitos Unified School District, Los Alamitos High was chosen. At the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, El Toro, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo high schools were named.