CAS
(Creativity, Activity, Service)
Full Diploma Students participate in IB's CAS Program. Diploma Candidates begin tracking their CAS experiences on the first day of their Junior Year. An ideal CAS program contains a balance of experiences that meet the three strands explained below.
CAS is organized around the three strands of creativity, activity and service defined as follows:
Creativity: Exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance. Creativity in CAS may include visual and performing arts, writing, film, culinary arts, crafts and composition.
Activity: Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle. The aim of the “Activity” strand is to promote lifelong healthy habits related to physical well-being. Pursuits may include individual and team sports, exercise, dance, or fitness training.
Service: Collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need. The aim of the “Service” strand is for students to make a meaningful contribution to their community.
Examples of CAS Experiences
These are just some ideas! Almost anything can count as CAS.
Creativity
Learning origami
Painting images that promote Black Lives Matter
Learning to play a new musical instrument
Learning to speak a new language
Starting an artistic photography Instagram page
Learning to cook international cuisine
Teaching your peers how to knit, then donating hats and scarves to Armed Forces members (combined with Service)
Partnering with Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture to create immigrant-centric artwork for display around the city (combined with Service)
Activity
Creating a home-workout plan
Learning yoga
Developing a weekly running routine
Joining a school-based or community-based sports team
Learning to kick-box
Running the Philadelphia Marathon
Service
Volunteering at the MLK day of service
Volunteering at Philabundance
Creating newsletters for community organizations
Volunteering at the Philadelphia Marathon
Participating in school clean-ups
Fundraising to meet the needs of classrooms devastated by natural disasters
Where do I go to get Started?
CAS Begins with a “YES”!: A guide to determining whether
an experience can be counted as CAS
1. Is this an activity for which you will not be paid?
Yes No
2. Is this activity something that is not a requirement of any element of the Diploma Program?
Yes No
3. Can this activity be considered a creative, physically active, or service endeavor, as based on
the definitions above?
Yes No
Which strand(s) do you think this activity fits under?
4. If this is a Creativity experience, will there be a finished product?
Yes No
What will the finished product be?
5. If this is a Service experience, is there a genuine need for the service?
Yes No
What is this need?
6. If this is an Activity experience, will there be an element of physical exertion?
Yes No
How will you engage in physical exertion?
7. Does this experience meet at least one of the Learning Outcomes as outlined in Managebac?
Yes No
Which Learning Outcome do you think this activity addresses?
8. Will you have fun?
Yes No
If you answered “yes” to all of the above questions, it’s time to go post this experience to Managebac in order to get Ms. Rowe’s approval!