INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE ORGANIZATIONCAS STUDENT HANDBOOK

Graduating class of 2018

To Develop Responsible Global Citizens and Leaders through Academic ExcellenceAdapted from Jonathon Hamilton’s Canadian International School of Hong Kong’s CAS Handbook

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Aims of CAS………………………………………...…………………………….……. 3

IB Learner Profile………………………………………………………………………. 4

What is / is NOT CAS …………………………………………………………………. 5

Student Responsibilities…...………...………………………….…………….……... 6

Deadlines and benchmarks …………………..…………………………...……… 8

CAS Learning Outcomes…………..……………………………….………………. 9

CAS Experiences …………..………………………………………..…...…………. 10

CAS Stages ………………….…….………………………….……………..………..11

Getting Started ……………………………………………………………………... 12

CAS Plan Form ………………………………………………………………………. 13

Reflection Form ……………………………………………………………………... 15

Evaluation ………………………………………………………………………........ 17

Further Information……………………………………………………………..……19

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CAS stands for Creativity Action Service

I. The Aims Of CAS

CAS aims to develop students who are:

reflective thinkers – they understand their own strengths and limitations, identify goals and devise strategies for personal growth

willing to accept new challenges and new roles

aware of themselves as members of communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment

active participants in sustained, collaborative projects

balanced – they enjoy and find significance in a range of activities involving intellectual, physical, creative and emotional experiences

Why CAS?

Because you are more than just a grade average, CAS is intended to move you out of the academic arena and help you learn through life experiences. Yes, as an IB student, we know you are involved in many interesting activities. What we are asking you to do is consider how these activities help you

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Reflective

Balanced

Risk-takersCaring

Open-mindedPrincipledCommunicators

Thinkers

KnowledgeableInquirers

PersonalDevelopment

Service

ActionCreativity

become a better person.

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What Is CAS?

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) is intended to be a collection of enjoyable and challenging experiences determined by you to extend your abilities. Through your CAS experiences, you are to achieve the following 7 learning outcomes:

1. Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth

2. Demonstrate that you have undertaken challenges and developed new skills in the process

3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

4. Show commitment to and perseverance in your CAS experiences

5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

What Is NOT CAS?

CAS is not a points-scoring exercise. Generally, CAS is not taking place when you are in a passive rather than an active role. There should be interaction. Examples of activities, which would most likely not be CAS , are listed below:

• any class, activity or project that is already part of the Diploma Programme• an activity for personal reward• simple, tedious and repetitive work • a passive pursuit, e.g. museum, theatre, exhibition, concert • part of family or religious duty • work experience that only benefits the student • fundraising without a clearly defined end in sight

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Student Responsibilities

• Thoroughly familiarize yourself with your school’s CAS handbook and timelines. Report CAS experiences using the appropriate form and submit forms to the CAS Coordinator on a timely basis.

• RECORD AND REPORT You must keep records of your activities and achievements, taking photos or videos whenever possible. You will be meeting with the CAS coordinator for several interim reviews of your progress and again for a final review. Be sure you come prepared. You must provide evidence of your achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes, (see page 9). This evidence can be in a variety of forms. You can make scrapbooks, photo essays, videos/DVDs or just standard written reflections. Evidence and reflections are to be submitted in your portfolio in March of your senior year.

• PRE-PLAN You must self-review at the beginning of your CAS experience and set personal goals for what you hope to achieve, this will involve identifying your interests, strengths, weaknesses, and resources. Base your choices on your interests, skills, talents and areas for growth to stay motivated. Challenge yourself!

• BALANCE your experiences between creativity, action and service. You must take part in a range of activities, including at least one project, some of which you initiated yourself. You should take part in activities that involve you in the school community, local community, national community, and the international community. You should plan on spending three to four hours per week or approximately 150 hours in total, with a reasonable balance between creativity, action and service.

• Ask questions along the way when you need assistance or clarification.

• REFLECT Participate in meaningful reflection as a way to capture your experiences and summarize your evidence linked to the learning outcomes.

Experiential learning is at the heart of CAS. You will complete a reflection form for each activity. Reflect at the end of each activity, or after every 10 hours for longer-running activities. An activity worth 20 hours would require 2 reflections. Reflections are a huge part of CAS

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and you will learn how to do it and how to improve.

• Enjoy CAS! That is most important—to participate in experiences that assists your personal growth and offers you a world of possibilities.

• All students will turn in a portfolio and a summative reflection essay by the end of the 3rd grading period, senior year. This portfolio will be an insightful introspective self assessment of the CAS experience and will be presented to your CAS Coordinator.

Note: Experiences completed as part of the requirements of the Diploma Program subjects, including Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay cannot be counted as part of your CAS portfolio.

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Deadlines and Benchmarks

October 2016: First CAS interview with CAS Coordinator to review student plans and review student CAS experience portfolio.

May 2017: Second CAS interview to review CAS portfolio and plans.

October 2017: Third CAS interview for portfolio review and CAS plan review.

March-April 2017: Fourth CAS interview for portfolio and summative reflective essay review.

Students will submit CAS experience forms to the CAS Coordinator on a timely basis; at a minimum before the close of each 9 week grading period.

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Learning OutcomesThere are 7 learning outcomes in CAS. To complete the CAS requirement, you must provide evidence that all seven learning outcomes described below have been met. Some may be demonstrated many times, in a variety of activities, but completion requires only that there is evidence for every outcome.

As a result of your CAS experience as a whole, including your reflections, there should be evidence that students have:

LO 1 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth Descriptor Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various

abilities and skills, of which some are more developed than others.

LO 2 Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Descriptor A new challenge may be an unfamiliar experience or an extension of an existing one. The newly acquired or developed skills may be shown through experiences that the student has not previously undertaken or through increased expertise in an established area.

LO 3 Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience Descriptor Students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to

executing a plan for a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences. This may be accomplished in collaboration with other participants. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a previous experience, or by launching a new idea or process.

LO 4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences Descriptor Students demonstrate regular involvement and active

engagement in CAS.

LO 5 Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively Descriptor Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss

the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences.

LO 6 Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance Descriptor Students are able to identify and demonstrate their

understanding of global issues, make responsible decisions, and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally, nationally or internationally.

LO 7 Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions Descriptor Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and

actions in planning and carrying out CAS experiences. CAS learning outcomes can be more fully explained through the use of descriptors.

To demonstrate these learning outcomes have successfully been met, you will need to present the evidence you have collected. This evidence will be in a variety of forms. For example, written reflections, photos, video, or any other suitable medium. You will be presenting this evidence through a portfolio due in March-April of your senior year.

CAS Experiences

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CAS experience can be a single event or may be an extended series of events.

A CAS experience must: Fit within one or more of the CAS strands. Be based on a personal interest, skill, talent, or opportunity for growth. Provide opportunities to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile. Not be used or included in the student’s diploma course requirements.

Furthermore: Will the experience be enjoyable? Does the experience allow for development of personal

interests, skills and/or talents? What new possibilities or challenges could the experience

provide? What might be the possible consequences of your CAS experience for you, others and the environment?

Which CAS learning outcomes may be addressed?

CAS Stages

Follow the process by investigating an interest that raises questions and curiosity. Prepare by learning more. Take some form of action.

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Reflect on what you have done along the way and demonstrate your understandings and the process.

Adapted from Cathryn Berger Kaye’s “five stages of service learning”, 2010. The Complete Guide to Service Learning Free Spirit Press, 2010

There are two parts as noted in the diagram.

1. The center represents the process with four key parts: investigation, preparation, action, and reflection (occurring intermittently in response to significant experiences).

2. The outer circle has two parts and guides students in summarizing their experiences: reflection and demonstration.

GETTING STARTED

GETTING STARTED – CHECKLISTThis following checklist should help you to get started on your CAS journey at Magnolia High School. Initial each box when you are sure that you fully understand the item. COMPLETE THIS PAGE BY ___ _________________________

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Initial Date

I have carefully read through the information contained in the CAS handbook, and I fully understand the CAS requirements.

I know who the CAS coordinator is and where her classroom is.

I know that I can always discuss CAS issues and concerns with my CAS coordinator or the IB Coordinator.

I know where to find CAS forms and information.

I am aware of the two-year CAS timetable, and I will follow it.

I should have my own CAS plan for two years.

I know that I must try and maintain a balance between Creativity, Action, and Service.

My parents/guardians are informed of the CAS programme and its requirements.

I will set myself goals for each activity, and I will reflect carefully on each activity I undertake.

I will maintain a log of my activities, organize any photos/videos, and work on my reflections at least once a month.

I know that I must write a reflection upon completing an activity, or after every 10 hours for longer-running activities.

I am aware that I must present evidence that I met the learning objectives in a portfolio.

I have copies, or know where to get copies, of all the necessary forms.

I clearly understand without the satisfactory and timely completion of CAS programme, the IB Diploma will not be awarded.

Student Signature_______________________________ Date_________

Parent Signature________________________________ Date_________

CHECKED BY THE CAS COORDINATOR_____________

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(COMPLETE THIS PAGE BY ____________________________)YOUR CAS PLAN

Name: ________________________________

Your plan will most probably adapt over time as you reflect on your activities and your interests and preferences change. This plan therefore is not set in stone but is an excellent place to start.

Which activities will you get involved in? (You can place an activity in more than one box.)

Activity description Date (month, year)

Approximate duration (in hours)

A group activity where you will collaborate with others

An activity that combines two of creativity, action, or serviceAn activity that will be a new challenge to you

An activity that will be an extension of an existing one

An activity where you will learn a new skill

Involvement with international projects (either locally, nationally, or internationally)An activity that will involve collaboration with others

An activity that you will initiate

Which activities will be based at school?

Which activities are further away from school but still in the Magnolia/Tomball/Houston area?

Which international project will you be involved in?

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List all your planned activities mentioned above, in the appropriate column(s),(there should be two in each category). You can include more activities. This is just for you to begin brainstorming.

Creativity Action Service

Reflect on your plan. (Any questions, comments, or concerns? Where do you see problems arising? What will you need to do to make your activities happen?)

___________________________ Date: ________________________Student’s Signature

___________________________ Date: ________________________Parent’s Signature

___________________________ Date: ________________________CAS Coordinator’s Signature

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Reflection Form (Found on Mrs. Rice’s website)

Magnolia High School International Baccalaureate Program

CAS Experience Student Form Class of 2018

Creativity – Action - Service

(Print) Student Name: ___________________________________________ Class of 2018Title of CAS experience: ______________________________________________________________Date(s) of experience: _____________ Approximately how much time did you invest? _____ HoursThis experience is (check all that apply): Creativity________ Action ________ Service________

Circle the Learning Outcomes achieved with this experience. Please include your reflection on the back of this form. Answer in detail: “How and in

what ways?”

LO 1 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growthDescriptor Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities

and skills, of which some are more developed than others.

LO 2 Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Descriptor A new challenge may be an unfamiliar experience or an extension of an existing one. The newly acquired or developed skills may be shown through experiences that the student has not previously undertaken or through increased expertise in an established area.

LO 3 Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience Descriptor Students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to

executing a plan for a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences. This may be accomplished in collaboration with other participants. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a previous experience, or by launching a new idea or process.

LO 4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences Descriptor Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in

CAS.

LO 5 Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively Descriptor Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss the

benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences.

LO 6 Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance Descriptor Students are able to identify and demonstrate their understanding of

global issues, make responsible decisions, and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally, nationally or internationally.

LO 7 Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions Descriptor Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions

in planning and carrying out CAS experiences.

15 Please turn over

Please reflect on the Learning Outcomes you circled. Be sure to answer these questions:

How were the circled LOs achieved? In what ways do the circled LOs apply? Did you L-A-N-D it? (Location, Actions, Names, Dates) Did you provide sufficient details and examples? Is this a summarization of your CAS experience or a reflection? (correct

answer: reflection) (Hint: use the descriptors as your guide)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Feel free to type in a Word Doc or Google Doc and attach to this

EVALUATIONCAS COORDINATOR’S EVALUATION NOTES Below is a sample of the form the CAS Advisor and/or CAS Coordinator will use to assess your progress and completion of the CAS requirement of the IB Diploma Programme.

Name of student: __________________________________________________________________

Name of CAS advisor: _____________________________________________________________

Event Date Signature CommentsStudent has declared an acceptable plan for CAS activitiesFirst consultation between CAS advisor and studentSecond consultation between CAS advisor and studentStudent has submitted reflective workThird consultation between CAS advisor and studentFourth consultation between CAS advisor and studentStudent has submitted final reflection portfolioStudent has submitted evidence that learning outcomes are metStudent gave a good presentation of their CAS portfolio.

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There is evidence that _______________________________________ has:

Learning outcome Achieved? Nature/location of evidence(for example, weblog [date], journal [pagexx], progress form [date])

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growthUndertaken new challengesPlanned and initiated activitiesShown commitment and perseverance in CAS activitiesRecognize the benefits of working collaborativelyEngaged with issues of global significanceConsidered the ethical implications of their actions

Describe how the student demonstrated the learning outcomes were met:

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Name of CAS advisor ___________________________________________________________

CAS advisor’s signature ______________________________ Date _____________________

CAS Programme Completion Y □ N □

Signed by the CAS Coordinator: __________________ Date: __________________18

Further Information

Mrs. Rice will maintain an IB CAS email distribution list. Keep an eye out for important CAS news and updates.

IB CAS website: tmhsrice.weebly.com

Mrs. Rice is always available and can be found in room 2149. Feel free to stop by to ask questions, turn in paperwork, pick up forms, etc.

REMIND 101: Enter this number 81010Text this message: @tmhsca

Email Mrs. Rice arice@magnoliaisd.org

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