Creativity, activity, service (CAS)

1. All DP students must do CAS throughout the 1st 18 months of their program (from August in DP1 through December in DP2).

2. All DP students must have “Balanced” CAS experiences in all 3 strands

3. If students do one-off CAS experiences (ushering, going on one Wednesday CAS Trip, doing 1 CAS art experience; participating in a single non-school sports day event), it only will count as part of their CAS towards that specific strand. Students must either have multiple experiences in a particular strand or one experience that lasts over a prolonged period of time.

4. Students must fulfill all of the CAS Learning Outcomes at least twice.

  • 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

5. Students must do at least 1 CAS Project in each of the 3 strands during their DP Program. A project should include at least 2 CAS strands and where planning and implementation for the Project must occur at a minimum over a month-long period.

6. When developing a CAS Project, students should use the 5 Stages of Service Learning in the Development of their Proposal and Project Implementation.

  • Investigation
  • Preparation or Planning
  • Action
  • Reflection
  • Demonstration

7. ALL CAS Project Proposals must be submitted via Google Docs to the CAS Supervisor and CAS Coordinator using the CAS Project Proposal Template; both the CAS Advisor and CAS Coordinator must approve the Project before the student begins the work on it.

8. Students must get any CAS Experience pre-approved on ManageBac by their CAS Advisor or the CAS Coordinator prior to engaging in the CAS Experience.

9. After one-off CAS Experiences, students must upload an authentic reflection that addresses success and challenges meeting the Learning Outcomes, why the successes worked out, what students did to overcome challenges, what students would do differently the next time, etc. Reflections can be typed directly into ManageBac, handwritten and uploaded as JPGs or PDFs, uploaded as a Word Doc, uploaded as an Audio or Video Recording; uploaded as a photo spread with captions that address the requirements of authentic reflection.

10. For on-going projects, students must do at least 1 authentic reflection a week that addresses success and challenges meeting the Learning Outcomes, why the successes worked out, what students did to overcome challenges, what students are doing differently to overcome those challenges, etc. Reflections can be typed directly into ManageBac, handwritten and uploaded as JPGs or PDFs, uploaded as a Word Doc, uploaded as an Audio or Video Recording; uploaded as a photo spread with captions that address the requirements of authentic reflection.

11. Students can still successfully complete CAS even if they had a CAS Experience where they did not meet all their Learning Outcomes as long as they reflect upon why they were unsuccessful, AND they have completed CAS Experiences where the missed Learning Outcomes have already been successfully (or will successfully be) completed.