What You Need to Know

About CAS as an IB Parent

Discovery Canyon High School

CAS requirements have

changed.

What is CAS?

CAS is one of the 3 core elements necessary to receive the IB Diploma.

What Does CAS Stand For?

C is for Creativity

Exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance.

What Does CAS Stand For?

A is for Activity

Physical exertion contributing

to a healthy lifestyle.

What Does CAS Stand For?

S is for Service

Collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need.

CAS Experiences:

CAS Experiences involve one

or more of the 3 CAS strands

(Creativity, Activity, Service).

CAS Experiences can be a single event or may be an

extended series of events.

CAS Projects:

CAS Projects must encompass 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.

CAS Projects can address any single strand of CAS, or combine 2 or all 3 strands.

Examples: CAS Experiences

Going for a mountain hike could be a singular experience within the Activity strand.

A student plans a number of visits to a nursing home resulting in a series of CAS experiences with the Service strand.

A group of students plan and stage a basketball tournament for the local community resulting in a series of CAS experiences involving the strands Creativity, Activity, and Service.

Examples: CAS Projects Creativity: A student group plans, designs and creates a mural.

Activity: Students organize and participate in a sports team

including training sessions and matches against other teams.

Service: Students set up and conduct tutoring for people in

need.

Creativity and Activity: Students choreograph a routine for their marching band.

Service and Activity: Students plan and participate in the

planting and maintenance of a garden with members of the local community.

Service and Creativity: Students identify that children at a local

school need backpacks and subsequently design and make the backpacks out of recycled materials.

Creativity, Activity, and Service: Students rehearse and perform

a dance production for a community retirement home.

Fulfilling CAS Diploma Requirements:

Students must demonstrate 18 months of dedication to CAS,

shared among all three strands. (October of junior year

through end of March senior year.)

Students must complete at least 1 CAS Project in this time.

Students must engage in an on-going service experience

over 18 months.

Students must meet 7 Learning Outcomes during their 18

months.

Students must participate in 3 documented interviews

about their CAS involvement

Must compile a CAS portfolio documenting their CAS

experiences and projects, preferably on ManageBac.

CAS Portfolio: Our students create and manage their CAS portfolios on

ManageBac.

They must create at least one reflection for every experience.

Some experiences will warrant 3 reflections (before, during, and after)

They are expected to document several reflections for their big

CAS project. The student must document the CAS framework

(plan of action) of their project.

Students are expected to identify which Learning Outcomes

relate to their experiences and projects.

Reflections need to be thoughtful and honest, while the student must

be able to back up their learning outcomes in their reflection(s) for

each experience.

How Can You Help?

Talk to your students about their interests

Make suggestions for needs in the community

Participate in experiences and projects along with them

Know about your student’s involvement in CAS.

Check ManageBac.

Stay in contact with your IB and CAS Coordinators.

Make sure they are keeping up with reflectons.

Reflections should be made in relative time to be reflective

in nature.

Remind your student that failure is just as important to

document as success.

For further questions or more

information, please contact:

Suzanne Smelker or Melissa Knight IB CAS Coordinators or

Carrie Smith IB Secretary

719-234-2898Discovery Canyon High School