CAS

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS), is one of the three core components of the IB Diploma Programme (DP).

CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies. It takes place outside of regular classes and therefore requires quite a lot of self-motivation. It is an opportunity for students to develop new skills and deepen areas of interest, while contributing what they have to offer to various communities. The process of learning through CAS experiences starts at the beginning of the DP and continues for at least 18 months.

CAS is compulsory, but not formally assessed. However, students reflect regularly on their CAS experiences and provide evidence of achieving their goals in an individual CAS portfolio on ManageBac.

 

CAS is organised around the three strands and should have a balance of creative, active and service elements:

Creativity:

Exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance, the creativity strand includes a wide range of the arts, such as music, theatre, visual arts, photography and dance. Experiences involving creative thinking or planning also fit there.

Activity:

Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, the activity strand includes sport or physical activities such as building or gardening.

Service:

Collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need, the service strand includes unpaid and voluntary activities that have a learning benefit for the students and meet the needs of someone else in their local, national or worldwide community.

 

At some point each student must engage in a CAS-Project. The CAS-Project must be of significant duration spread over at least 4 weeks. It must involve the student planning and initiating aspects of the experience for themselves and collaboration with others. It can take place at any time during the programme.

At the end of 18 months of CAS students must be able to provide the school with evidence in their CAS portfolio of having achieved each of the following learning outcomes at least once through the CAS programme:

  1. Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
  2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken developing new skills in the process

  3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

  4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
  5. Demonstrate skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively
  6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
  7. Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions

 

Students at H.I.S. have a scheduled CAS classes with the CAS-Coordinator and formal documented interviews with their assigned CAS advisor spread across the 2 years of study.