CAS, known as the “Heart of the IB”, is one of the three fundamental requirements of the IB Programme; together with TOK and the Extended Essay, it is located at the centre of the hexagon.

This programme is developed around the three stands of CAS: they are not an aim on their own, but the field in which the students develop their process of experimental learning.

Creativity

Creativity involves creative thinking in the organisation of campaigns, trips and events, but above all, it applies to art, theatre and music workshops and the projects related to arts: murals, plays, choirs, bands, instruments, etc.

Action

Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the IB Diploma Programme.

Action is included in the following activities:

  • Participation in expeditions and/or camps which imply new challenges (International Award).
  • Sports and Physical Activities that go beyond the basic curricula of PE. This means, voluntary participation in teams that represent the School or the country. Also doing new sports or disciplines that imply a goal for the development of new skills.
  • Organisation of Campaigns which raise awareness of social and environmental issues of our Community. (Projects as “Campaigns” and “Green Committee” have great Action components as well as Service).
Service

It is the heart of the CAS Programme. It implies an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student.

Service activities inside and outside the School: Do things with and for others, developing a real commitment with others based on the respect for the dignity of every person.

Nature of CAS – Experimental learning

CAS allows IB Diploma students to strengthen their personal and interpersonal skills through experiential learning. Also, it has the important purpose of counteracting the academic pressure of the rest of the IB Diploma Programme. A good CAS Programme must be enjoyable and also build a challenge, a path to personal discovery. Even though each student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, for most of them, CAS activities constitute deep transforming experiences of great significance in their lives.

CAS aims to develop students who are: reflective thinkers, willing to accept new challenges and new roles, aware of themselves as members of communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment. It is also expected that they participate actively in sustained, collaborative projects and that they achieve a balanced programme, meaning they enjoy and find significance in a range of activities involving intellectual, physical, creative and emotional experiences.

Criteria that defines a CAS activity

Every proposed CAS activity must comply with the following criteria:

  • Clear purpose and results with value for the people involved.
  • Personal challenge: the tasks must mean a personal improvement for the student but also, it must have achievable goals.
  • Planning, process evaluation and information communication.
  • Reflection process about the goals that were met and the personal learning that happened.
Learning objectives

As a result of the CAS experience in its whole, including its reflections, the students should demonstrate that 8 objectives have been achieved:

  • Acquire more conscience of their own qualities and areas of growth.
  • Begin new challenges: a new challenge can be a new activity, or a new dimension of a previously existing one.
  • Propose and plan activities: the proposal and planning of activities will, on many occasions, be made with other people.
  • Work in collaboration with other people: collaboration can be shown on many different activities, like participating in team sports, playing in a music band, forming part of a play cast or doing group service work.
  • Show perseverance and personal commitment in their activities: this implies attending the activities regularly and punctually and share responsibility in all of their aspects.
  • Participate in activities and projects about themes of global importance: activities related to the care of the environment in a local, national or international level: “Think globally, act locally.”
  • Consider the ethical implications of their actions: that reflection should appear in the work diary.
  • Develop new abilities: just like the new challenges, the new abilities can be shown both in activities that the students have not engaged in before and also in the perfecting of a known area.

THE EIGHT LEARNING OBJECTIVES SHOULD APPEAR SO THAT IT CAN BE CONSIDERED THAT THE STUDENT HAS COMPLETED THE CAS PROGRAMME. It is possible that some objectives are shown many times, in a great variety of activities, but for the satisfactory completion of CAS it is necessary that there should be some proof of having achieved each of the objectives. The emphasis on learning objectives reflects that it is the quality of a CAS activity that has more importance.

The importance of the life lessons’ record

Reflection makes the Project or CAS activity a real pedagogical experience.

Reflection must be recorded by each student in ACTIVITIES – PROJECTS evaluation FORMS and/ or in FORMS for the end of workshops in which he/she participated during a considerable amount of time.

Extra evidence such as photography, videos, PowerPoint presentations, recorded/ taped reflections, etc. will be accepted and valued.

There will also be personal interviews between the CAS teachers and the students, oral presentations in Assemblies, videos, PowerPoint presentations and other creative forms.

At the end of each trimester, the student will need to hand in their record FORMS with the reflections about the workshop of the period evaluated by the teacher in charge.

When participating in a CAS activity and in experiential learning, reflection is an on-going process:

Before:

  • Back up. Why? Evaluate needs.
  • Establish goals. Why? What am I expecting to learn?
  • Plan activities.

During:

  • Follow-up. Direction. Review of actions and accomplishments. Student Progress.

After:

  • Evaluation.
  • Self-evaluation.
Useful questions to guide the reflection process:
  • What did I plan to do and what did I actually do?
  • Which were the results for me, for the team I worked with and for the rest?
  • What reality did I meet and finally understand though this Project or Activity?
  • How did I feel? And in case of an activity with interaction, what do I think the others felt?
  • What activities did I carry out and which skills could I develop?
  • What attitudes and values could I discover in me and the others?
  • What value did the activity have for me and the other people involved? Which were good choices and which the difficulties?
  • What did I learn about myself and about the others?
  • What changed in me after the activity?
  • How can I apply what I’ve learnt in other situations?

The student must also provide evidence of the relation between his/her CAS activities and themes studied in TOK; such as perception, emotion, language and reason (sensitivity, intuition, imagination, beliefs, prejudice, stereotypes, ethics, values, meanings, etc.)

Also, we will establish relations within the frame of the IB student profile.

1. Students will be part of groups no larger than 18 members. IB 1st year group will have the same members in the 2nd year of IB. The aim is to form a strong working group that will go through different challenges.

2. In ES5 and 6, the school year is divided in two periods; the teams will rotate to have two workshops during the year.

3. Also, to pass the CAS programme, each candidate will need to fulfil satisfactorily at least 3 extracurricular projects during the two years. ES6 students, for example, in the last year of the IB course will have gone through 4 compulsory four-month long workshops and at least 3 or 4 extracurricular optional CAS projects.

4. Students will be evaluated with a numerical grade in the space CAS has in the boletín. In the column Logros, with a grade from 1 to 10, each teacher of the trimestral workshop will evaluate the performance and the quality of the reflections in the CAS record form. In the column Actitud students will be evaluated according to the criteria used for that end.

Evaluation criteria
GRADE CRITERIA TO EVALUATE ACHIEVEMENT
10-9 The student has performed in an outstanding way in the planning and development of the activity; showing leadership skills. He/she contributed valuable and varied material for the development of activities. He/she has carried out a comprehensive reflection of his/her CAS work and could communicate efficiently and convincingly what he/she has learnt. The presentation of the reflection is clear, creative and very conscientious (he/she attaches other pieces of evidence such as pictures, sketches, programmes, etc.)
8-7 The student has performed well in the planning and development of the activity; proving leadership skills. He/she contributed material for the developed activities. He/she has carried out a good reflection of his/her CAS work and could communicate efficiently what he/she has learnt. The presentation of the reflection is satisfactory (he/she attaches other pieces of evidence such as pictures, sketches, programmes, etc.)
6-5 The student has not successfully fulfilled the criteria outlined above.
4-1 The student didn’t accomplish the expected work in the workshop or the CAS reflections.
Criteria to evaluate a attitude
POINTS CRITERION 1: Motivation and initiative. CRITERION 2: Team work. CRITERION 3: Perseverance and Commitment. CRITERION 4: Respect towards the teacher, classmates, place and working material. CRITERION 5: Attendance and Punctuality. TOTAL
2 (Very satisfactory) 2
1,50 (Satisfactory) 1,50 1,50 1,50
0,50 (Regular) 1,50
0 (Non satisfactory) 7
MONDAY, PERIOD 7 AND 8: 14.55 TO 16.35

ES 6 – 64 ALUMNOS / PUPILS: 4 GROUPS

Activity – Workshop Venue Teacher Trimester 1 Trimester 2
RED CROSS Casa del Niño L 1 GB-HW Gr. 3 4
GREEN ACTIVITIES with Casa del Niño H 1 MD Gr. 4 1
MUSIC AND RECREATION with FILOCHICOS SUM MJD – DJ Gr. 1 2
HOGAR ELIASEN Sixth Form SS – RMcL Gr. 2 3
FRIDAY, PERIOD 7 AND 8. FROM 14.55 TO 16.35

ES 5 – 61 ALUMNOS / PUPILS: 3 GROUPS

Activity Venue Teacher 1st term 2nd term
RED CROSS Hogar Evangelina E 4 GB-HW 1 3
GREEN ACTIVITIES Casa del Niño H 1 MD-SC 2 2
RECREATION with FILOCHICOS L 2 o Lecture MJD – SS 3 1
FRIDAY, PERIOD 7 AND 8. FROM 14.55 TO 16.35

Solidarity Campaigns (all the school community participates in 5 collections every year. School supplies, Winter clothes and shoes, toys, a roof for my country and Christmas)

  • Permanent Campaign: Paper recycling and plastic caps for Hospital de niños.
  • Solidarity Kiosks. In School events. During long break.
  • Solidarity Cricket: Integration Project for poor children. (Caacupe)
  • International Award Program. Expeditions.
  • Extracurricular sports training and participation in interschool and/or inter-clubs leagues.
  • National and international sports tours.
  • Plays – College Musicals.
  • Choir, bands, instruments, singing.
  • Special Music, Art or Drama “Interhouses”.
  • Participation in “Un techo para mi país”.
  • Informative Blogs, magazines and/or pamphlets with interesting information for the School or external community.
  • Animal Protection Committee.
  • Children’s Day Party. Christmas for all. Special participation in the Audela Workshop.
  • Extracurricular “unpaid” collaboration with the Red Cross, or special dedication to the Green Committee.
  • Maintenance work in “Casa del Niño Santa María” or another Institution.
  • Other workshops to discuss between students and the CAS coordinator.