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Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)What is Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS)?
CAS is a required component of the International Baccalaureate program for all Diploma students. The current requirement for Diploma students is a minimum of 150 hours of CAS activities divided equally among three categories: Creativity, Activity and Service. This is equivalent to 3 or 4 hours per week.
Creativity, activity and service (CAS) are fundamental parts of the International Baccalaureate Program (IB). The emphasis of the CAS program is experiential learning. Students are required to choose activities that will promote opportunities for personal growth and awareness of the world around them. A wide range of activities are available to the students and participation in selected activities should be voluntary. Students should balance their activities equally between the three areas: creativity, action and service. Each student will keep record of participation by completing the appropriate forms provided in this packet. Evaluation by the CAS Supervisor, adult leader, and a self-evaluation by the student are required elements of the CAS program. Diploma candidates are required to successfully complete the CAS Program. Failure to meet the requirements will result in no diploma being awarded.
Goals of the CAS Program-
- To provide a challenge to each student in the three areas- creativity, action, service
- To provide opportunities for service
- To complement the academic disciplines of the curriculum and to provide balance to the demands of scholarship placed upon the IB student
- To challenge and extend the individual by developing a spirit of discovery, self-reliance and responsibility
- To encourage the development of the student’s individual skills and interests.
Structure of the CAS Program-
A student’s CAS program may consist of:
- One activity or project provided that all three basic areas (creativity, action and service) are included and are in balance, or
- Activities chosen from each of the three areas, or
- A combination of the two
What type of activities are appropriate for CAS?
Activities that express the spirit of CAS will encourage the student to share their energies and special talents while developing awareness, concern, and the ability to work cooperatively with others. The goal of IB is to educate the whole person by providing a refreshing counterbalance to the academic self-absorption some may feel within a demanding school program. IB recognizes the importance of life outside the world of academics. To best recognize appropriate activities the student should reflect on the motivation behind the activity. A student that decides to try writing poetry for their own pleasure or designs the plans for a dream house would be participating in creative activities. Action hours could apply if the student plans a poetry reading night for other students in school to read their poem(s) to each other. Activities should be active; a preponderance of passive pursuits, such as viewing art or museums, should be avoided. Programs should also avoid too many lessons such as piano or tennis instruction. Emphasis should be placed on the development of new skills, not simply practicing those already acquired. Many of the best most successful CAS activities are projects which combine all three elements as a total CAS experience. The purpose of the CAS experience is to broaden the scope of developing the mind of the IB student to include the development of the heart and body.
What type of activities are not appropriate for CAS?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, the activity or project will not count for CAS recognition.
- Will this activity or project result in a grade, points, or credit in a class? Writing poetry for personal growth will not count if the poetry is handed in to a teacher for a grade or points.
- Will you be paid for this activity or project?
- Are you required to do this activity or project due to family or religious devotion? This refers to doing household chores for your family or attending church. If you are a devoted religious person, attending church is a practice that you will participate in regardless of the requirements of CAS. If you decide to work in the nursery or clean the church grounds, that would be appropriate for service hours.
- Are you doing this activity for the sole purpose of fulfilling CAS requirements? Be careful. Remember that the spirit behind CAS is that you learn about yourself or others through the activity.
Evaluation Methods
The International Baccalaureate Program requires every diploma student’s CAS performance to be evaluated in two ways.
- Self-Evaluation by the Student: A record is kept on each CAS activity undertaken.
- Evaluation by the CAS supervisor:
The CAS supervisor may be asked to submit samples of three students’ CAS records to the regional office. The supervisor is then required to write a summary evaluation report on each student’s overall CAS performance based on the student’s self-evaluation and any other records compiled.
CAS Coordinator: Ms. Marlene Ramey: MRAMEY@AACPS.ORG
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