CAS
What is CAS?
CAS is an 18-month program organized around the 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 ToK guides students in making sense of their experiences as learners and in CAS. In both ToK and CAS, you must reflect on your beliefs and assumptions, leading to a more thoughtful, responsible, and purposeful life. CAS is specifically designed to help students explore real-world application of their learning. |
Requirements of CAS
A good CAS experience 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 the CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life‑changing.
CAS activities are ideally engaged on a weekly basis for 18 months, beginning their junior year, continuing throughout summer break, and concluding at the end of senior year. Students must maintain and complete a CAS Portfolio as evidence of their engagement with CAS experiences, consisting of a experience logs, monthly student reflections, and a collection of evidence.
Reflections should stress and demonstrate student learning and growth, exploring, for example, strengths, ideas, skills, failures, limitations and how well students used prior learning in their CAS experience. Additionally, reflections should demonstrate how students have met the seven CAS outcomes (outcomes found in the CAS Overview below). At least a few of these reflections should be done in a method other than written narration (e.g. poetry, dance, video).
A good CAS experience 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 the CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life‑changing.
CAS activities are ideally engaged on a weekly basis for 18 months, beginning their junior year, continuing throughout summer break, and concluding at the end of senior year. Students must maintain and complete a CAS Portfolio as evidence of their engagement with CAS experiences, consisting of a experience logs, monthly student reflections, and a collection of evidence.
Reflections should stress and demonstrate student learning and growth, exploring, for example, strengths, ideas, skills, failures, limitations and how well students used prior learning in their CAS experience. Additionally, reflections should demonstrate how students have met the seven CAS outcomes (outcomes found in the CAS Overview below). At least a few of these reflections should be done in a method other than written narration (e.g. poetry, dance, video).
The five CAS stages are as follows.
- Investigation: Students identify their interests, skills and talents to be used in considering opportunities for CAS experiences, as well as areas for personal growth and development. Students investigate what they want to do and determine the purpose for their CAS experience. In the case of service, students identify a need they want to address.
- Preparation: Students clarify roles and responsibilities, develop a plan of actions to be taken, identify specified resources and timelines, and acquire any skills as needed to engage in the CAS experience.
- Action: Students implement their idea or plan. This often requires decision-making and problem-solving. Students may work individually, with partners, or in groups.
- Reflection: Students describe what happened, express feelings, generate ideas, and raise questions. Reflection can occur at any time during CAS to further understanding, to assist with revising plans, to learn from the experience, and to make explicit connections between their growth, accomplishments, and the learning outcomes for personal awareness. Reflection may lead to new action.
- Demonstration: Students make explicit what and how they learned and what they have accomplished, for example, by sharing their CAS experience through their CAS portfolio or with others in an informal or formal manner. Through demonstration and communication, students solidify their understanding and evoke response from others.
CAS LEARNER OUTCOMES
Student completion of CAS is based on the achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes realized through the student’s commitment to his or her CAS programme over a period of 18 months. These learning outcomes articulate what a CAS student is able to do at some point during his or her CAS programme. Through meaningful and purposeful CAS experiences, students develop the necessary skills, attributes and understandings to achieve the seven CAS learning outcomes.
Some learning outcomes may be achieved many times, while others may be achieved less frequently. Not all CAS experiences lead to a CAS learning outcome. Students provide the school with evidence in their CAS portfolio of having achieved each learning outcome at least once through their CAS programme. The CAS coordinator must reach agreement with the student as to what evidence is necessary to demonstrate achievement of each CAS learning outcome. Commonly, the evidence of achieving the seven CAS learning outcomes is found in students’ reflections.
Some learning outcomes may be achieved many times, while others may be achieved less frequently. Not all CAS experiences lead to a CAS learning outcome. Students provide the school with evidence in their CAS portfolio of having achieved each learning outcome at least once through their CAS programme. The CAS coordinator must reach agreement with the student as to what evidence is necessary to demonstrate achievement of each CAS learning outcome. Commonly, the evidence of achieving the seven CAS learning outcomes is found in students’ reflections.
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 program
- 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 program
- 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 program
- behave appropriately and ethically in their choices and behaviors.
CAS should involve:
By the end of their CAS experience as a whole, students must show evidence that they have participated in activities which have met each of the following outcomes:
Class of 2017 & Beyond:
- Real, purposeful activities, which meet one or more of the learning outcomes.
- Personal challenge --- tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope.
- Students using the CAS stages (investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration) to guide CAS experiences and projects.
- Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting (done on ManageBac).
- Evidence and reflection on outcomes and personal learning.
By the end of their CAS experience as a whole, students must show evidence that they have participated in activities which have met each of the following outcomes:
Class of 2017 & Beyond:
- Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
- Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
International Award (Duke of Edinburgh Award)
Eagle Scouts Award
Habitat for Humanity
www.ifrc.org International Federation of Red Cross and Red crescent societies.
Red Cross
Royal Geographic Society features, under its 'publications' header, expeditions, risk assessment, and guides; and many of these resources can be downloaded free of charge.
The Tabitha project is a Cambodian charity run by a Canadian. Many IB schools have linked with Tabitha to construct basic and simple one-room homes for Cambodian families. Some schools also help by selling crafts made by the families working with Tabitha.
Scouting documents links to varied resources that can be modified to help you in your planning. It also has equipment links, songs, and skits for download to help with the CAS camps.
Eagle Scouts Award
Habitat for Humanity
www.ifrc.org International Federation of Red Cross and Red crescent societies.
Red Cross
Royal Geographic Society features, under its 'publications' header, expeditions, risk assessment, and guides; and many of these resources can be downloaded free of charge.
The Tabitha project is a Cambodian charity run by a Canadian. Many IB schools have linked with Tabitha to construct basic and simple one-room homes for Cambodian families. Some schools also help by selling crafts made by the families working with Tabitha.
Scouting documents links to varied resources that can be modified to help you in your planning. It also has equipment links, songs, and skits for download to help with the CAS camps.