CAS HANDBOOK

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Philosophy of CAS

2. What is CAS?

3. CAS Stages

4. Learning outcomes

5. What is counted as CAS?

6. Why is CAS necessary?

7. Experiential Learning and effective reflection.

8. ‘CAS Roles & Responsibilities’

19. CAS Project proposal form

10. CAS requirements and planning summary and specific guidelines.

11. CAS Activities Calendar 2022-23

12. References

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 Philosophy of Creativity, Activity & Service

(CAS)
CAS and Ethical Education:
There are many definitions of ethical education. The more interesting ones
acknowledge that it involves more than simply “learning about ethics.” Meaningful
ethical education – the development of ethical beings – happens only when people’s
feelings and behavior change, as well as their ideas. Because it involves real activities
with significant outcomes, CAS provides a major opportunity for ethical education,
understood as involving principles, attitudes and behavior. The emphasis in CAS is
on helping students to develop their own identities, in accordance with the ethical
principles embodied in the IB mission statement and the IB learner profile.

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 The Nature of CAS

“If you believe in something, you must not just think or talk or write, but must act.”
(Peterson 2003)

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. 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. 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 students are
expected to maintain and complete a CAS portfolio as evidence of their engagement
with CAS.

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The CAS portfolio is a collection of evidence that showcases CAS experiences and
for student reflections; it is not formally assessed. Students need to achieve all seven
CAS learning outcomes for the completion of CAS requirements. Through their CAS
portfolio, students provide the school with evidence demonstrating achievement of
each learning outcome.

A CAS experience can be a single event or may be an extended series of events.

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.

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.

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 What is CAS?

CAS should involve:

• Real purposeful activities which meet one or more of the 7 CAS Learning
Outcomes.
• Personal challenge --- tasks must enhance student’s skills and be achievable in
scope.
• Students should follow the CAS stages (investigation, preparation, action,
reflection, and demonstration) while accomplishing CAS projects. (Refer
section CAS Stages)
• Students are expected to develop and maintain a CAS portfolio. The CAS
portfolio is a collection of evidence that showcases CAS experiences and
reflection on the learning outcomes. This includes thoughtful consideration,
such as planning, reviewing progress and reporting on experiences.
• Completion of CAS is based on the achievement of the seven CAS learning
outcomes.
• Three formal CAS interviews with the CAS Coordinator. This will inform your
learning and growth by allowing you to explore areas for further development.

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 Creativity, Activity, Service

Creativity:
Creativity in CAS provides students with the opportunity to explore their own sense
of original thinking and expression. Creativity will come from the student’s talents,
interests, passions, emotional responses, and imagination; the form of expression is
limitless. This may include visual and performing arts, digital design, writing, film,
culinary arts, crafts and composition. Students are encouraged to engage in creative
endeavors that move them beyond the familiar, broadening their scope from
conventional to unconventional thinking.

Activity:
The aim of the “Activity” strand is to promote lifelong healthy habits related to
physical well-being. Pursuits may include individual and team sports, aerobic
exercise, dance, outdoor recreation, fitness training, and any other form of physical
exertion that purposefully contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Students are encouraged
to participate at an appropriate level and on a regular basis to provide a genuine
challenge and benefit.

Service:
The aim of the “Service” strand is for students to understand their capacity to make
a meaningful contribution to their community and society. Through service, students
develop and apply personal and social skills in real-life situations involving
decision-making, problem-solving, initiative, responsibility, and accountability for
their actions. Service is often seen as one of the most transforming elements of CAS
by promoting students’ self-awareness, offering diverse occasions for interactions
and experiences and opportunities for international-mindedness.
Service within CAS benefits all involved: students learn as they identify and address
authentic community needs, and the community benefits through reciprocal
collaboration. Service fosters development of abilities, attitudes and values in
accordance with the IB mission statement and the IB learner profile. As such, CAS
service experiences are unpaid.

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 CAS Stages
1. 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.
2. Preparation:
Students clarify roles and responsibilities, develop a plan of actions to be taken,
identify specific resources and timelines, and acquire any skills as needed to engage in
the CAS experience.
3. Action:
Students implement their idea or plan. This often requires decision-making and problem
solving. Students may work individually, with partners, or in groups.
4. 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.
5. 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.
The CAS stages provide a framework that enables students to:
• Increase self-awareness
• Learn about learning
• Explore new and unfamiliar challenges
• Employ different learning styles
• Develop their ability to communicate and collaborate with others
• Experience and recognize personal development
• Develop attributes of the IB learner profile
Students develop skills, attitudes and dispositions through a variety of individual
and group experiences providing opportunities for self-determination, collaboration,
accomplishment and enjoyment. CAS enables students to enhance their personal and
interpersonal development.

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 7 Learning Outcomes
As a result of their CAS experience as a whole, there should be
evidence/documentation that students have participated in experiences/projects that
involve one or more of the following outcomes (all 7 need to be achieved by the end
of the CAS program):

1. 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.

2. 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 established area.

3. 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.

4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences: Students

demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions: Students show
awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out
CAS experiences.
All seven outcomes must be touched on for a student to complete the CAS
requirement. Some may be demonstrated many times, in a variety of activities, but
completion requires that they have evidence of meeting the outcome a minimum
of one time.
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 What is counted as CAS ?

Acceptable experiences/projects include:

The experience falls under one or more of the CAS strands (creativity, activity,
service).
• Student can demonstrate how one or more of the learning outcomes will be met.
• Student can demonstrate how they will personally grow from the experience.
• Activity has real consequences or benefits for the student and/or other people.

Unacceptable experiences/projects include:

• Anything that is for a grade or needed for high school/IB credit. Time spent on
simple, tedious, and/or repetitive tasks (ex. filing)
• Replacing books on library shelves, shredding paper). Family duties, religious
devotions or any activity for which money is paid.

Political and Religious Activities

When trying to determine if an activity within one or both of these areas should be
submitted for CAS approval please take into consideration the following:
Does the activity meet the requirements above for something that counts as CAS?
Does the religious activity take place during regularly scheduled worship? Is it an
activity that will cause, or worsen, social divisions?
Is the activity safe and secure, given the local circumstances? What are the learning
opportunities for the student?

When in doubt, please discuss the experience description and goals with CAS
Coordinator prior to beginning the activity to see if it will count for CAS.

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 Ideas of Creativity Activities

1. Plan and execute an art project for kids at a NGO

2. Learn a new musical instrument.
3. Learn an especially challenging piece of music/dance routine (C/A, if dance)
4. Perform music and dance in a new or especially challenging context (public
audience, large audience, competition context)
5. Plan a musical program and perform for hospital patients (C/S)
6. Teach art/music/dance to another person/group of people. (C/S)
7. Design a website for a non-profit/charity organization. (C/S)
8. Teach anything- this always involves design and creativity if it’s done correctly
9. Design an awareness campaign for an environmental issue. This could include
creating a posters, creative announcements, creative presentations (C/S).
10. Create a mini photography portfolio with a clearly defined theme, objective, and
goal 16. Take a ceramics class.
11.Write a write up or a poem or short story for the Yearbook.
12. Start a photo blog or join new photographers groups on online platform where
you can share your photography and improve your photography.
13. Find an ugly wall in your neighborhood and design a mural for it. Ask permission
from
whoever owns it and then enlist friends or neighborhood kids to help out with
it.
(C/S)

14. Design and create attractive signs with environmental messages for your school
or neighborhood. (C/S)

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 Ideas of Activity Activities

1. Plan an overnight hiking expedition – take an experienced outdoors

person with you.

2. Try bowling. Try golfing. Try curling!

3. Learn to swim.

4. Learn to SCUBA dive or get advanced certification.

5. Commit to riding your bike to school a certain number of times per

week.

6. Learn to skateboard- BE CAREFUL!!!

7. Join a gym over winter. Set yourself a workout plan and stick to it!

8. Join weightlifting classes.

9. Join hip hop dance classes.

10. Train for an upcoming running race and set a goal for yourself.

11. Join a tennis club.

12. Find a community garden and help out in it (A/S)

13. Teach sports to kids who don’t get the opportunity to learn (A/S)

14. Learn Basket ball, Chess, Table Tennis, Football etc

15. Earn place in School sports teams for Interschool Team Games.

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 Ideas of Service Activities

1. Work as a teacher’s aide in a local elementary school

2. Volunteer to help play with orphans at local orphanage

3. Teach singing/piano/guitar as a lunchtime or after school club

4. Teach people at non-profit or charity about open-source software and

how they
can use applications to make their organization serve people better

5. Visit the hospital for bomb survivors weekly and chat to the residents,

or teach them a new craft/skill.

6. Volunteer to teach a workshop at a local internet café on writing a resume (S/C)

7. Campaign the local government on an issue you feel strongly about.

8. Plant trees in rainy Season (S/A)

9. Become certified in CPR/First Aid .

10. Help a lower school club set up a website - (S/C)

11. Design and perform a creative skit about healthy eating habits for lower school

12. Research healthy eating options and change Hungry Hideout food offerings.

13. Design a poster campaign for healthy eating (S/C)

14. Start a Model UN team (S/C)

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 Why CAS is Necessary?

‘Defining good students means more than just grades’

CAS provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the
Diploma Program. Assists students with being more willing to accept new challenges
and new roles. Enables the student to be a more reflective thinker. Students become
more aware of themselves as members of communities with responsibilities towards
each other and the environment. Students become active participants in sustained,
collaborative projects.

CAS - AN IB DIPLOMA & GRADUATION REQUIREMENT

• A student who fails to satisfy the CAS requirement will not be awarded the IB
diploma even if all other diploma conditions have been satisfactorily fulfilled.
• 18 months of continuous creativity, activity, and service experiences/projects
(begin documenting this day one of junior year) Completion of documentation
for CAS.

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 CAS Reflection

Being reflective is one attribute of the IB learner profile: “We thoughtfully consider
the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and
weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.”

Student’s learning is enhanced by reflection on choices and actions. This enables

students to grow in their ability to explore skills, strengths, limitations and areas for
further development. Developing a culture of reflection helps students recognize and
understand how to be reflective as well as deciding the best methods and appropriate
timing, higher cognitive processes and greater depth of understanding .Through
reflection students examine ideas and consider how they might use prior learning in
new contexts.

During CAS, students benefit from both structured and informal reflection when
gathering evidence of the learning outcomes. For personal knowledge and growth as
IB lifelong learners, best practice balances structured and guided opportunities for
students to reflect on their CAS experiences.

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 Some possible ways to reflect
While written reflections are often the main way that students reflect in CAS, there
are other ways that you can reflect on your CAS experience do keep in mind that for
some methods you need to audio or video record, make digital presentation or share
links for the online blogs/ website/channel.

Possible methods to reflect include:

• Written reflections (often referred to as a journal):
Oral
• During interviews with the CAS Coordinator.
• During discussions with the activity supervisor & CAS advisor.
• Discussions with other group members (where applicable)

Visual
• Murals
• Creative design
• Sculpture
• Collage

Creative
• A comic strip
• A drama performance
• Poetry
• A letter to the editor / an editorial
• A word cloud
• A video / short film
• Animation
•
Reflection and the CAS learning outcomes
Reflection is the primary evidence used by CAS coordinator to determine
whether students have successfully attained the seven CAS learning outcomes.
However, it is important to note that not all reflections should or must discuss
learning outcomes.

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 CAS Roles & Responsibilities

CAS Coordinator CAS Advisors Students

Provide info to students, Meet with students to discuss Approach CAS with a
parents, and faculty (including the initial personal self-review proactive attitude
CAS Advisors) about the CAS (beginning of Grade 11)
requirement. Complete DYPIS Initial
Personal Self Review (see
Make students aware of Provide feedback to students Appendix)
potential CAS about CAS
experiences/projects. experiences/projects Use the CAS stages
(investigation, preparation,
Approve CAS Meet with students in person as action, reflection, and
experiences/projects. when required. demonstration) to guide CAS
experiences and projects
Assist CAS Advisors (tutor) Communicate any CAS
with understanding how to concerns to the CAS Have a balance between the
manage, advise and reflect with Coordinator. CAS strands (creativity,
students. activity, service)

Meet with students to discuss Keep records of CAS

the initial personal self-review experiences/projects, HW,
Interview 1 (beginning of CAS questions answered and
Grade 11) reflective evidence.

Ensure that there is an adult

2nd CAS Interview (April of supervisor to verify CAS
Grade 11) experiences/projects and that
Complete overview of CAS they complete a supervisor
final interview (April of Grade review at the end of each
12) activity (must be a non-
Complete 3rd final exit CAS relative)
Interview (March of Grade 12)
Complete overview of CAS Demonstrate that all 7
final interview (April of Grade learning outcomes have been
12) achieved.

Prepare and deliver a CAS

documentation in term 2 of
Grade 12.
Have a final meeting to show
reflections on CAS program
and how the outcomes were
met.

Behave appropriately,
ethically, and with integrity.

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 CAS Project Proposal Form

D Y Patil International school, Nerul

CAS Project Proposal

Name: ______________________ Grade:________

Date:_______

Advanced Planning
Goal of the activity/ Project:

Brief description of the activity/project:

___________________________________________________________________

For each Learning Outcome checked above, explain specifically how your
project will allow you to meet this goal.

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 CAS Project Proposal Form

Who will help you?

Supervising Adult

Name:_______________________
Email ID: ___________________________
Others: ______________________________
What is the schedule /timeframe for this commitment?
Detail the dates and hours you anticipate working on this project:
___________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

How you will know you have reached your goal?

How you will measure your success?
_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Which new skills will you need you execute this project?

How will you gain these skills?

_____________________________________________________________________

After acquiring the new skills, can you use them to help others? If yes , How ?

_____________________________________________________________________

Advisor Preapproval Conference:

Date of Conference:______________ Next Conference Date:_____________
CAS Coordinator’s Signature: __________________
Activity Supervisor’s Signature:_________________

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 What exactly do I have to do?

Step one:
Understand what CAS is.
How do I do this: Read the manual in its entirety, take notes, consult with the CAS
Coordinator.

Step two:
Develop a plan for completing your CAS requirements.

How do I do this:
1. During the summer before the start of your junior year, complete a self-review at
the beginning of your CAS experience and set personal goals for what you hope to
achieve through your CAS program.
• For your self-review, consider your strengths and weaknesses, abilities and aptitudes,
interests, etc. Present this self-review to the CAS coordinator. This requirement is
intentionally nebulous in order to encourage a variety of methods, questions, and
meaningful, personal thought.
• Your personal goals should be a mixture of improving yourself and playing to your
strengths. Carefully consider your goals because you will have to evaluate whether or
not you reached them at the final evaluation.

2. After you have completed your self-review, develop a plan of how you are going
achieve the CAS requirements.
• Provide first and last name of your adult supervisor, email address. An email address
is especially important when it is time for your CAS Coordinator to complete a final
review. Please remember that this supervisor must be able to validate and verify that
you have met the learning outcomes you have marked.
• Provide a full description of the activities you will be performing under ACTIVITY
DESCRIPTION.
• Check the CAS LEARNING OUTCOMES that you expect to meet while
performing these activities.

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Make sure that each of your proposed activities (and any activity that you plan on
counting as part of your CAS) meets all 4 requirements and that you address each
of the learning outcomes at least once through your activities:

1. Real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes

2. Personal challenge – tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope
3. Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting
4. Reflection on outcomes and personal learning.

If an activity doesn’t fit any of these 4 requirements and does not involve learning,
then it is not CAS.

Step three:

Execute your plan, complete activities and reflect on each activity. More specific
details will be provided at the beginning of your junior year.

Step four:

Meet with the CAS coordinator and CAS Advisors periodically.

How do I do this :
Meet CAS Coordinator & CAS Advisors periodically to update about your
progress in CAS activities and for taking preapproval for personal CAS activities
other than activities organized by school.

At any time during the year, you may receive messages or questions that are
emailed to you. It is imperative that you read these messages and address any
concerns that might be expressed.

Step five:

Prepare your final Documentation.

How do I do this :
Document your reflections & evidence of the CAS activities.

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References:
Creativity,Activity,Service. Ibo.org. Web. <https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-
programme/curriculum/creativity-activity-and-service/>.

Ahmedabad International School,CAS Handbook. Web.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Student Handbook Class of 2020 and Beyond.
Https://chiefsealthhs.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_4563/File/Academics/IB/CAS
_Handbook2020_ADA.pdf. Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Student Handbook Class of 2020
and Beyond. Web.

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