CAS is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. With its holistic approach, CAS is designed to strengthen and extend students’ personal and interpersonal learning from the PYP and MYP.
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
Activity—physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle
Service—collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need
As a shining beacon of 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 that provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and express their passions, personalities and perspectives. CAS complements a challenging academic programme in a holistic way, providing opportunities for self-determination, collaboration, accomplishment and enjoyment.
CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development. A meaningful CAS programme is a journey of discovery of self and others. For many, CAS is profound and life-changing. Each individual student has a different starting point and different needs and goals. A CAS programme is, therefore, individualized according to student interests, skills, values and background.
The school and students must give CAS as much importance as any other element of the Diploma Programme and ensure sufficient time is allocated for engagement in the CAS programme. The CAS stages offer a helpful and supportive framework and continuum of process for CAS students.
Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB Diploma. While not formally assessed, students reflect on their CAS experiences and provide evidence in their CAS portfolios of achieving the seven learning outcomes.
The CAS programme formally begins at the start of the Diploma Programme and continues regularly, ideally on a weekly basis, for at least 18 months with a reasonable balance between creativity, activity, and service.
All CAS students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS portfolio as evidence of their engagement with CAS. The CAS portfolio is a collection of evidence that showcases CAS experiences and for student reflections; it is not formally assessed.
Completion of CAS is based on student achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes. Through their CAS portfolio, students provide the school with evidence demonstrating achievement of each learning outcome.
Students engage in CAS experiences involving one or more of the three CAS strands. A CAS experience can be a single event or may be an extended series of events.
Further, students undertake a CAS project of at least one month’s duration that challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making. The CAS project can address any single strand of CAS, or combine two or all three strands.
Students use the CAS stages (investigation, preparation, action, reflection and demonstration) as a framework for CAS experiences and the CAS project.
There are three formal documented interviews students must have with their CAS coordinator/adviser. The first interview is at the beginning of the CAS programme, the second at the end of the first year, and the third interview is at the end of the CAS programme.
CAS emphasizes reflection which is central to building a deep and rich experience in CAS. Reflection informs students’ learning and growth by allowing students to explore ideas, skills, strengths, limitations and areas for further development and consider how they may use prior learning in new contexts.
Key to a student’s CAS programme is personal engagement, choice and enjoyment of CAS experiences. Throughout the Diploma Programme students undertake a variety of CAS experiences, ideally on a weekly basis, for a minimum of 18 months. They must also undertake at least one CAS project with a minimum duration of one month. Students reflect on CAS experiences at significant moments throughout CAS and maintain a CAS portfolio. Using evidence from their CAS portfolio, students will demonstrate achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes to the CAS coordinator’s satisfaction.
CAS students are expected to:
approach CAS with a proactive attitude
develop a clear understanding of CAS expectations and the purpose of CAS
explore personal values, attitudes and attributes with reference to the IB learner profile and the IB mission statement
determine personal goals
discuss plans for CAS experiences with the CAS coordinator and/or CAS adviser
understand and apply the CAS stages where appropriate
take part in a variety of experiences, some of which are self-initiated, and at least one CAS project
become more aware of personal interests, skills and talents and observe how these evolve throughout the CAS programme
maintain a CAS portfolio and keep records of CAS experiences including evidence of achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes
understand the reflection process and identify suitable opportunities to reflect on CAS experiences
demonstrate accomplishments within their CAS programme
communicate with the CAS coordinator/adviser and/or CAS supervisor in formal and informal meetings
ensure a suitable balance between creativity, activity and service in their CAS programme
behave appropriately and ethically in their choices and behaviours.
The CAS programme aims to develop students 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.
There must be a minimum of three interviews between a student and the CAS coordinator/adviser where student progress is discussed and appropriate encouragement and advice is given. The interviews should occur at least twice in the first year of the Diploma Programme and once in the second year. Feedback from these interviews is recorded by the CAS coordinator/adviser.
The interviews are documented on a CAS progress form (see examples in the Creativity, activity, service teacher support material) or through some other appropriate method such as a digital log. If concerns arise, particularly with respect to successful completion of the CAS programme, these should be noted at the earliest opportunity and appropriate action taken. The third interview is a summative discussion of the student’s engagement in CAS and his or her achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes. It is recommended that a completion form is used (see examples in the Creativity, activity, service teacher support material) or through some other appropriate method such as a digital log.
This interview is conducted at the beginning of the Diploma Programme. The CAS coordinator/adviser ensures the student understands the requirements for CAS, explains the CAS learning outcomes and how the student might achieve these outcomes, discusses the student’s interests and ideas for CAS experiences, determines what form the student’s CAS portfolio should take, and reviews the CAS stages. If students are already aware of CAS, the CAS interview can be an opportunity to confirm their understandings and assist with any plans and ideas.
This interview is normally held towards the end of the first year of the Diploma Programme. The main purpose of the interview is to assess the progress of the student in CAS. Of real interest in this interview is that the students have committed to a range of CAS experiences and they are achieving the CAS learning outcomes. Students at this stage may have completed or are planning to carry out a CAS project. The student’s CAS portfolio is used as a reference in this interview and reviewed for gathered evidence including achievement of any of the seven learning outcomes.
This is the summative interview for CAS. It may well be just before the Diploma Programme finishes. In this interview the student outlines how they have achieved the learning outcomes for CAS. In addition, they discuss and evaluate their overall CAS programme and reflect on personal growth. The student’s CAS portfolio is used as reference in this interview. This third interview may provide the opportunity for discussion on development of the CAS programme for future CAS students based on this student’s personal experience.
(adapted from www.ibo.org)