Meet the College Board Consultant for AP African American Studies, Patrice Frasier

Patrice Frasier has been teaching American Government, U.S. History, Standard and AP African American Studies at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Baltimore, MD since 2009.

She has been serving as the Social Studies department chair at Poly. Patrice is one of the pioneering teachers who piloted the AP African American Studies class. She was trained at the Howard University APSI in 2022 and attended the Smithsonian Museum’s gala celebrating the inauguration of the course in 2023.

Patrice is an endorsed and certified College Board Consultant and served as a Reader for AP African American Studies Pilot Year 1 in 2023.

Patrice holds a BA Degree in Government and Politics and a certificate in African American Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park. She also holds an MS in Instructional Technology from Towson University. Patrice is certified to teach secondary social studies.

APSI African American Studies Session Description

This APSI session is designed for teachers of AP African American Studies. We will focus on examining the diversity of African American experiences through the course’s direct encounters with authentic and varied sources. The APSI workshop will demonstrate how students will explore key topics that extend from early African kingdoms to the ongoing challenges and achievements of the contemporary moment.

This interdisciplinary course foregrounds a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States within the broader context of Africa and the African diaspora. Our APSI workshop will explore lessons proven to effectively teach the main skills required for success in the course: •  applying disciplinary knowledge, •  source analysis, and •  argumentation. Because AP African American Studies students need many opportunities to discuss complex texts in multiple genres, participants will gain hands-on experience with evaluative and analytical reading approaches to historical documents, literary texts, music lyrics, works of art, material culture, maps, tables, charts, graphs, and surveys.

If available, we will conduct simulated readings of recent Free-Response exam questions and APAAS project essays to inform teaching and learning. Please bring a laptop or tablet for immediate access to multiple digital resources.

APSI Session Goals:

• To identify and apply the standards of the AP African American Studies (APAAS) exam to classroom practices

• To explore and develop effective APAAS units, lessons and syllabi

• To expand participants’ repertoire of successful instructional strategies

• To explore online resources such as AP Classroom and AP Daily (if available)

• To develop a network of valuable colleagues

• To promote the cross-disciplinary benefits of APAAS curriculum