| CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) is a requirement for earning the Full IB Diploma. CAS is the experiential component of the IB Programme and provides the opportunity for the IB Diploma student to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real-world contexts. CAS is defined as activities and projects which incorporate students’ creativity and physical energy (action) into service. In particular, action is any sort of active “doing,” creativity is the process of innovation either through the arts or other means of creative thinking in the design and carrying out of a service project, and the service component requires that a student’s time be spent in meeting the needs of others.
Each IB Diploma student must complete 150 CAS hours over the course of their junior and senior years. These hours must fit into one of the three areas: Creativity, Action, Service, and should be balanced between these categories (approximately 50 hours in each area). Many activities that students are already involved in can count towards their CAS hours including sports, clubs and volunteer work. Students are also encouraged to complete hours during the summers before their junior and senior years.
When a student commits to the Full Diploma Programme at the end of the sophomore year, they may begin to accumulate the 150 hours required for the CAS component of the IB Programme. The following steps outline the process involved in planning, implementing and reporting on their CAS.
- Step 1: Students plan out their CAS activities by developing their Initial CAS Plan
 . Students identify the activities they are already involved in such as athletics, band, service and leadership clubs.
- Step 2: Students meet with the CAS Coordinator to insure that their Initial CAS Plan meets CAS guidelines and brainstorms how to fill in any gaps—in the fall of the Junior year.
- Step 3: As students complete their CAS hours, they reflect on their own growth throughout the process. The Guidelines for Reflection provide a structure for this reflection. Additionally, they collect evidence of their CAS experience (photos, news articles, programs, etc.) as they complete various activities.
- Step 4: Students meet with the CAS Coordinator beginning in mid-October of the junior year to insure that they are clear on expectations and are following through with the reflection process.
- Step 5: Students develop and implement at least one project involving teamwork that integrates two or more of creativity, action and service and is of significant duration.
- Step 6: Students will organize their CAS experiences into a portfolio with their initial plan, journals and evidence of their experience.
Note: Students may identify 15 of their CAS hours as their required Senior Project, and will complete appropriate Senior Project requirements for these identified 15 hours.
CAS Programme Initial Plan
CAS Reflection 2010 |
