Creativity, Action and Service (CAS)

The Diploma Core is designed to encourage students to think beyond their classroom. In conjunction with the IB Learner Profile, the Core encourages students to become international minded, responsible global citizens. CAS requires students to cultivate and demonstrate the attributes of the IB Learner Profile in real and meaningful ways.

IB Learner Profile The aim of all IB Programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. The IB learner profile represents ten attributes valued by IB World Schools. OHS believes these attributes, and others like them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.

The CAS Project

A CAS project is a collaborative, well-considered series of sequential CAS experiences, engaging students in one or more of the CAS strands of creativity, activity, and service. CAS students must be involved in one CAS project during their CAS programme. The primary purpose of the CAS project is to ensure participation in sustained collaboration. A CAS project challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as those of cooperation, problem-solving and decision-making. A successful CAS project must:

Use the CAS stages as a framework for completion
Last at least one month from planning to completion
Involve collaboration or teamwork
Fall under at least one CAS strand (Creativity/Activity/Service)
Be designed with a defined purpose and goal
Identify at least one desired learning outcome.

Students must submit a CAS Project Proposal form to Mrs. Braeden. All projects must be approved prior to being started.

The CAS Portfolio

All CAS students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS portfolio as evidence of their engagement with CAS and achievement of the seven learning outcomes. The CAS portfolio can also reveal how students have developed the attributes of the IB learner profile. A successful CAS Portfolio must contain:

Evidence of planning for CAS experiences
Meaningful reflections on CAS experiences
Evidence that the student has completed all seven learning outcomes
Documentation of the student’s CAS project

The CAS Portfolio is an ongoing project, and students should update their CAS Portfolio continually with reflections and evidence.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is at the heart of the IB Diploma Programme. It is one of the three essential elements in very student’s IB Diploma experience. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:

Creativity: Exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance
Activity: Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle
Service: Collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need

As a way of implementing our values, CAS enables students to demonstrate attributes of the IB learner profile in real and practical ways, to grow as unique individuals and to recognize their role in relation to others. Students develop skills, attitudes and dispositions through a variety of individual and group experiences. CAS experiences provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and express their passion, personalities and perspectives. CAS complements a challenging academic program in a holistic way, providing self-determination, collaboration, accomplishment and enjoyment. CAS Aims to develop student who:

Enjoy and find significance in a range of CAS experiences
Purposefully reflect upon their experiences
Identify goals, develop strategies and determine further actions for personal growth
Explore new possibilities, embrace new challenges and adapt to new roles
Actively participate in planned, sustained, and collaborative CAS projects
Understand they are members of local and global communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment.

CAS Stages: The CAS stages offer a helpful and supportive framework and continuum of process for CAS students as they consider what they would like to do in CAS, make plans, and carry out their ideas.

CAS Seven Learning Outcomes

The CAS Portfolio should provide evidence that you have:

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth: Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, of which some are more developed than others.
Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process: A new challenge may be an unfamiliar experience or an extension of an existing one. The newly acquired or developed skills may be shown through experiences that the student has not previously undertaken or through increased expertise in an establish area.
Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience: students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to executing a plan for a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences. This may be accomplished in collaboration with other participants. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a previous experience, or by launching a new idea or process.
Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences: Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS.
Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively: Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences.
Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance: Students are able to identify and demonstrate their understanding of global issues, make responsible decisions, and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally, nationally or internationally.

CAS Reflection

Reflection is central to building a rich and meaningful experience in CAS. Through reflection students examine ideas and consider how they might use prior learning in new contexts. Reflection leads to improved problem-solving, higher cognitive processes and greater depth of understanding in addition to exploring how CAS experiences may influence future possibilities. The intention of reflection in CAS includes the opportunity for students to:

Deepen learning
Consider relevance of experience
Explore personal and group values
Recognize the application of knowledge, skills, and attributes
Identify strengths and limitations for development
Gain a greater understanding of self and others
Place experience in a larger context
Generate relevant ideas and questions
Consider improvements in individual and collective choices and actions
Transfer prior learning to new situations
Generate and receive constructive feedback
Develop the ongoing habit of thoughtful, reflective practice

Four Elements of reflection:

Describing what happened. Retelling memorable moments, identifying what was important or influential, what went well or was difficult, obstacles and successes.
Expressing emotional responses to their experiences. The following two elements add greater depth and expand perspectives.
Generating ideas. Rethinking or re-examining choices and actions increase awareness about self and situations.
Asking questions. Questions about people, processes or issues prompt further thinking and ongoing inquiry.

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