The Creativity, Activity, and Service program (CAS) is a program of experiential learning. It is at the core of the IB Diploma and it is aligned with our school’s core values of community, integrity, and respect. Simply put, CAS continues your education outside the classroom. It is an opportunity for you to develop your own skills and interests and contribute what you have to offer to various communities through short-term or long-term experiences you have undertaken.

The three strands of CAS, often interwoven within any single endeavor, are as follows:

Creativity:
Engaging in enterprises that involve creative thinking, learning new skills, experiencing culture or other ventures that involve creative thinking in the design and implementation of service projects.

Activity:
Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, not only from participation in individual and team sports but also when taking part in expeditions and in local or international projects.

Service:
An unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity, and autonomy of all those involved are respected.

CAS projects should involve:

• Real, purposeful endeavors, with significant outcomes

• Personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope

• Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting and reflection

Students are expected to reflect on their experiences and be able to articulate or demonstrate learning outcomes that resulted from having participated in the projects. It is the experience and reflection upon the experience that counts; this is not merely an exercise in logging hours. By discussing their CAS work with their Advisor and fellow students, the Advisor helps the student to document their experiences and growth.

Creativity, activity, and service (CAS) is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete as part of the Diploma Programme (DP).

Studied throughout the Diploma Programme, CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies.

It is not formally assessed. However, students reflect on their CAS experiences as part of the DP and provide evidence of achieving
the seven learning outcomes for CAS.

Educators at IB World Schools can read about the seven learning outcomes in the CAS guide, which is available in the IB store and the Programme Resource Centre (PRC).

How is CAS structured?

The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:

• Creativity – arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.

• Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the DP.

• Service – an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity, and autonomy of all those involved are respected.

In order to demonstrate these concepts, students are required to undertake a CAS Project. The project challenges students to:

• show initiative

• demonstrate perseverance

• develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making.

What is the significance of CAS?

• CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development by learning through experience.

• It provides opportunities for self-determination and collaboration with others, fostering a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from their work.

• At the same time, CAS is an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the DP.

IB guidance on CAS

A good CAS program should be both challenging and enjoyable – a personal journey of self‑discovery.

Each student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many their CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life‑changing.  CAS is a component of the DP core.

A few things to remember:

1. CAS covers 18 months - (count your months on the timeline in Managebac) - CAS starts the first day of school your junior year and ends April 15th.

2.  You need a reasonably balanced number of hours in each category - Creativity (your own creativity), Activity (physical exertion = you moving), and Service (benefit to others). 150 total

3.  CAS Project - includes at least one strand (CAS), one-month duration, and includes collaboration, you initiating, and planning. The CAS project is part of the 18-month/hours requirement. 

4. You need to obtain all 7 learning outcomes over the 18-month commitment. Check your Toddle Account to make sure you have achieved all 7.

5. Activities cannot earn a grade or money or fulfill an IB diploma requirement (IA, Group 4, etc.).  Check HERE to find out what is and what is not CAS.

6. There will be a CAS session to explain how CAS Reflections will be set up for you in Toddle.

7. Remember, do not assume that Ms. Nordleaf or the person from IB will know what your activity is. In your reflection, the reader should be able to tell what happened, why it happened, who benefited, what did you learn, etc.

I look forward to seeing all the interesting activities you have chosen for this requirement of the IB Diploma.

Ms. Nordleaf
CAS Coordinator