THOUSAND OAKS : Schools Nominated for National Award

Two Ventura County schools have been nominated for national Blue Ribbon awards, which are sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Education.

Aspen Elementary School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District and Oak Hills Elementary School in the Oak Park Unified School District are among the 35 California schools nominated for the 1991-92 program, a spokesman for State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig said.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program gives national recognition to outstanding schools for high quality and performance, state education officials said.

Nominees had to meet stringent state and federal eligibility requirements concerning school leadership, teaching and student environments, curriculum, instruction, and parent and community support, the spokesman said. Nominees also ranked highly in the 1990 California Assessment Program, a statewide testing program.

In the final phase of selection, education leaders nationwide will meet in Washington, D.C., to review the applications of the schools and select the top schools for site visits. Blue Ribbon winners will be announced in May.

To be chosen, a school must have some combination of grades kindergarten through eight, and must not have been recognized during the 1989-90 school year as part of the program, then called the National Elementary Recognition Program.