Board committee recommends Freedom on My Mind as textbook for new AP African‑American Studies course; community review next step

The Charlottesville City School Board heard a recommendation on May 7 from Allison Brown and a textbook‑adoption committee to adopt Freedom on My Mind as the core text for the new AP African‑American Studies course at Charlottesville High School.

Brown described a multi‑step review process: the committee solicited the four publishers listed on the College Board’s AP course resources, received three textbook samples for evaluation, and scored the submissions using the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) textbook evaluation rubric focused on alignment, readability, representation and instructional supports. The committee assigned a numerical equivalent to rubric grades; Freedom on My Mind received A (adequate) ratings across criteria and a committee total described in the presentation as the top score. The committee’s written rationale cited the book’s AP‑aligned structure, embedded instructional strategies and teacher edition supports for document‑based questions and exam practice.

Committee members said they expect two sections in the pilot year, capped at 25 students each, and reported 44 students were already enrolled for next year. Brown said the committee obtained cost quotes for 50 student copies, two teacher editions and online teacher access, but the transcript’s numeric formatting for that figure was unclear; the committee will provide an exact purchase price during the final adoption vote after community review.

Board members asked about prerequisites (none; recommended pairing with VA U.S. history), the authorship and representation criteria, student feedback mechanisms and possible partnerships with outside scholars. The committee proposed a public community review period through the end of May with materials available at the annex and opportunities for in‑person and electronic comment; staff said they will synthesize community feedback and return to the board with a final recommendation.

What happens next: With board approval to proceed to community review, the committee will collect feedback through late May, summarize results and present final adoption and purchase recommendations at a subsequent meeting.