Offering Help
Your son/daughter could for any reason struggle in CAS, as a parent you might want to offer them some support. Below you find some frequently asked questions and answers to them, these might help you in supporting your child.
HOW DO I GET APPROVAL?
In order to get approval on a CAS experience your son/daughter will first need to add their experience proposal to their Managebac portfolio. In this way both the coordinator and advisor will be able to see what they are planning to do and can review whether that is appropriate for CAS.
- Title
- Start and End date
- Approaches
- Strands (if Service is selected also indicate type of service)
- Supervisor details
- Learning outcomes
- Description and goals (which includes project description, goal, explanation of CAS strand, link to DP subjects and core, Personal development and selection of learning outcomes, investigation)
- CAS Stages
After the student thinks the proposal is completed they notify their advisor and ask them to check it for approval, if the advisor does not approve it they will leave your son/daughter a comment in their CAS portfolio on ManageBac explaining them why and give advice on what needs to be added or changed.
In order to get approval on a CAS experience your son/daughter will first need to add their experience proposal to their Managebac portfolio. In this way both the coordinator and advisor will be able to see what they are planning to do and can review whether that is appropriate for CAS.
- Title
- Start and End date
- Approaches
- Strands (if Service is selected also indicate type of service)
- Supervisor details
- Learning outcomes
- Description and goals (which includes project description, goal, explanation of CAS strand, link to DP subjects and core, Personal development and selection of learning outcomes, investigation)
- CAS Stages
After the student thinks the proposal is completed they notify their advisor and ask them to check it for approval, if the advisor does not approve it they will leave your son/daughter a comment in their CAS portfolio on ManageBac explaining them why and give advice on what needs to be added or changed.
WHEN IS MY EXPERIENCE COMPLETED?
After your son/daughter has been given approval, they can go ahead with their proposed experience. Throughout they will need to collect evidence and write reflections in order to demonstrate their involvement in this CAS experience.
Before they ask their coordinator/advisor to check their work for completion, they should check whether they have done/included the following?
- Approval (indicated by the blue thumbs up symbol)
- Supervisor agreement form (uploaded as evidence)
- Supervisor review form (if completed written uploaded as evidence/if digitally it is automatically included)
- Reflection(s) before the experience (reflection on investigation and preparation phase) Chapter 3, p. 55
- Reflection(s) during the experience (reflections during the Action phase) Chapter 3, p.56
- Reflection(s) after the experience (reflection in which you evaluate yourself) Chapter 3, p. 57
- Evidence (photos, videos, voice recordings, links to organisation websites, screenshots of email contact, planning documents, meeting notes, certificates etc.)
The collection of reflections and evidence should show that they have done the experience, how they have done it, with who, and how they have developed the learning outcomes selected.
You can remind your son/daughter to make sure to indicate for which learning outcome they are submitting evidence.
After your son/daughter has been given approval, they can go ahead with their proposed experience. Throughout they will need to collect evidence and write reflections in order to demonstrate their involvement in this CAS experience.
Before they ask their coordinator/advisor to check their work for completion, they should check whether they have done/included the following?
- Approval (indicated by the blue thumbs up symbol)
- Supervisor agreement form (uploaded as evidence)
- Supervisor review form (if completed written uploaded as evidence/if digitally it is automatically included)
- Reflection(s) before the experience (reflection on investigation and preparation phase) Chapter 3, p. 55
- Reflection(s) during the experience (reflections during the Action phase) Chapter 3, p.56
- Reflection(s) after the experience (reflection in which you evaluate yourself) Chapter 3, p. 57
- Evidence (photos, videos, voice recordings, links to organisation websites, screenshots of email contact, planning documents, meeting notes, certificates etc.)
The collection of reflections and evidence should show that they have done the experience, how they have done it, with who, and how they have developed the learning outcomes selected.
You can remind your son/daughter to make sure to indicate for which learning outcome they are submitting evidence.
WHERE SHOULD I KEEP MY CAS PORTFOLIO?
Your son/daughter need to keep the CAS portfolio in Managebac, they will start creating it as soon as they begin their CAS programme.
Here they will record their evidence, categorise it by experiences and keep an overview of different aspects completed.
Your son/daughter need to keep the CAS portfolio in Managebac, they will start creating it as soon as they begin their CAS programme.
Here they will record their evidence, categorise it by experiences and keep an overview of different aspects completed.
WHAT DO I INCLUDE FROM MY SUPERVISOR?
First of all your son/daughter needs to include your supervisor details in the proposal, they ask their supervisor to read the supervisor letter and sign the supervisor agreement form before they start the experience. After he/she has signed the document, your son/daughter should scan it in and upload it to the reflections and evidence tab. After the experience is done, and they have uploaded all the reflections and further evidence they will need their supervisor to review the work, they can ask them if they want to do it digitally or on paper.
Digitally:
On the worksheet of the experience you see a button 'REQUEST SUPERVISOR REVIEW', if clicked it is will send an automatic email to the supervisor asking them to fill out the form digitally. Ones they have done this it will be included in the portfolio. (it will send an email to the address that is indicated in the proposal, check carefully if this is correct)
On paper:
Provide the supervisor with a printed version of this document, after completing it your son/daughter needs to scan it in and upload it to the reflections and evidence tab.
First of all your son/daughter needs to include your supervisor details in the proposal, they ask their supervisor to read the supervisor letter and sign the supervisor agreement form before they start the experience. After he/she has signed the document, your son/daughter should scan it in and upload it to the reflections and evidence tab. After the experience is done, and they have uploaded all the reflections and further evidence they will need their supervisor to review the work, they can ask them if they want to do it digitally or on paper.
Digitally:
On the worksheet of the experience you see a button 'REQUEST SUPERVISOR REVIEW', if clicked it is will send an automatic email to the supervisor asking them to fill out the form digitally. Ones they have done this it will be included in the portfolio. (it will send an email to the address that is indicated in the proposal, check carefully if this is correct)
On paper:
Provide the supervisor with a printed version of this document, after completing it your son/daughter needs to scan it in and upload it to the reflections and evidence tab.
HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER I'M ON-TRACK?
On your CAS portfolio page you should be able to see a overall progress indicator, this indicates whether you are on-track or on 'concern'.
These indicators are changed at least 4x per school year, when the report card go out, so it is important that when you start doubting whether you are still on-track to make an appointment with you advisor!
You can also do a little check yourself, go to 'understanding CAS' and read through the requirements, are you still on track with these requirements and/or are you still able to achieve these? If yes, you are probably on the right track, if not go talk with your advisor or make an appointment with the CAS coordinator.
On your CAS portfolio page you should be able to see a overall progress indicator, this indicates whether you are on-track or on 'concern'.
These indicators are changed at least 4x per school year, when the report card go out, so it is important that when you start doubting whether you are still on-track to make an appointment with you advisor!
You can also do a little check yourself, go to 'understanding CAS' and read through the requirements, are you still on track with these requirements and/or are you still able to achieve these? If yes, you are probably on the right track, if not go talk with your advisor or make an appointment with the CAS coordinator.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN DO FOR CAS?
Ask your son/daughter what they are interested in, what do they feel strongly about. Perhaps there are some global issues that you can identify which they care about. These might offer good focus and could possibly provide some guidance in what kind of experience could be done!
On this page you can find more information on how you can help your son/daughter selecting an appropriate CAS experience.
You can ask them if they recently have met with their advisor, the advisor can help them with brainstorming possible CAS experiences.
We will ask your son/daughter to fill out a personal profile at the start of DP 1, this indicates what kind of things they like, do and are interested in. They could go back into this document to see if there is something there that they haven't done anything with yet.
Ask your son/daughter what they are interested in, what do they feel strongly about. Perhaps there are some global issues that you can identify which they care about. These might offer good focus and could possibly provide some guidance in what kind of experience could be done!
On this page you can find more information on how you can help your son/daughter selecting an appropriate CAS experience.
You can ask them if they recently have met with their advisor, the advisor can help them with brainstorming possible CAS experiences.
We will ask your son/daughter to fill out a personal profile at the start of DP 1, this indicates what kind of things they like, do and are interested in. They could go back into this document to see if there is something there that they haven't done anything with yet.
I DON'T GET A RESPONSE FROM MY ADVISOR?
If for whatever reason your son/daughter doesn't get any response from their advisor after sending them an email they must try again and if that doesn't work they should contact the CAS coordinator.
If for whatever reason your son/daughter doesn't get any response from their advisor after sending them an email they must try again and if that doesn't work they should contact the CAS coordinator.
I CAN'T FIND A SUPERVISOR
If your son/daughter is not able to find an appropriate supervisor for their experience they should contact their advisor or the CAS coordinator. They will help them to find a supervisor or will become the supervisor for that specific experience. Although it always better if a student can find someone that will be with them frequently and is an 'expert' in the area explored.
If your son/daughter is not able to find an appropriate supervisor for their experience they should contact their advisor or the CAS coordinator. They will help them to find a supervisor or will become the supervisor for that specific experience. Although it always better if a student can find someone that will be with them frequently and is an 'expert' in the area explored.
I DON'T KNOW WHO I CAN ASK TO BE MY SUPERVISOR?
The supervisor should be an adult, who is not a family member or a personal friend (if this would be the case this should be verified with the CAS coordinator) and if possible be an expert in the experience they choose.
If in case a student is doing an experience which takes place at home and there is no evident supervisor who can guide the student they can always think of a member of the ISB staff who could possibly offer guidance and advice.
The supervisor should be an adult, who is not a family member or a personal friend (if this would be the case this should be verified with the CAS coordinator) and if possible be an expert in the experience they choose.
If in case a student is doing an experience which takes place at home and there is no evident supervisor who can guide the student they can always think of a member of the ISB staff who could possibly offer guidance and advice.
HOW MUCH CAS EXPERIENCES SHOULD I DO?
The CAS programme is not about quantity but is focused on quality. In theory there should be at least 3 experience of which one is a project, covering all 3 CAS strands. But in practice it doesn't work that way as these 3 will probably not allow the student enough opportunities to develop all seven learning outcomes several times.
The student has to do as many experiences as it takes to:
- Include all 3 CAS strands (creativity, activity, service)
- Demonstrate a balance between the three CAS strands
- Demonstrate development in each of the seven learning outcomes several times
- Cover at least 18 months of active engagement in CAS over the 2 years of the DP programme
The CAS programme is not about quantity but is focused on quality. In theory there should be at least 3 experience of which one is a project, covering all 3 CAS strands. But in practice it doesn't work that way as these 3 will probably not allow the student enough opportunities to develop all seven learning outcomes several times.
The student has to do as many experiences as it takes to:
- Include all 3 CAS strands (creativity, activity, service)
- Demonstrate a balance between the three CAS strands
- Demonstrate development in each of the seven learning outcomes several times
- Cover at least 18 months of active engagement in CAS over the 2 years of the DP programme
As a parent you might want to now and then check up on your son/daughters progress in CAS. Below I've phrased some questions you could ask them and in the answers you find ways in which you can check together with your son/daughter how they are doing?
WHAT CAS EXPERIENCE ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
Ask your son/daughter to explain to you what they are doing for the experience engaged in. To give you a clear idea of what they are doing you can ask them to show you their CAS portfolio and show you the experience they are working on at the moment.
You can see on this page whether it is already approved or not yet and what feedback has been given. Any feedback that is given on the reflections and evidence.
If your son/daughter says they are not busy either planning or doing an experience something is not right, their CAS programme and engagement should be ongoing with no interferences. If so please make sure they get in contact with the advisor or coordinator as soon as possible. Each delay or interference caused will mean an extension of the programme.
Ask your son/daughter to explain to you what they are doing for the experience engaged in. To give you a clear idea of what they are doing you can ask them to show you their CAS portfolio and show you the experience they are working on at the moment.
You can see on this page whether it is already approved or not yet and what feedback has been given. Any feedback that is given on the reflections and evidence.
If your son/daughter says they are not busy either planning or doing an experience something is not right, their CAS programme and engagement should be ongoing with no interferences. If so please make sure they get in contact with the advisor or coordinator as soon as possible. Each delay or interference caused will mean an extension of the programme.
DO YOU ALREADY HAVE IDEAS FOR YOUR CAS PROJECT?
It is possible that when you ask this question at an early stage in the programme, your son/daughter does not yet have ideas yet for the project. They will be informed about the requirements of the project during the CAS lessons in November/December DP1.
Anytime after that they should at least have some ideas of what they could possibly do, these might not yet be specific or proposed yet.
You may want to remind them of the fact that they need to complete at least one project which should be a collaborative and sustained experience of at least a month's duration that challenges them to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance and develop skills such as problem solving, and decision making. The project can address any single strand of CAS or combine two or all three strands. The CAS stages framework needs to be used to plan and implement the project.
It is possible that when you ask this question at an early stage in the programme, your son/daughter does not yet have ideas yet for the project. They will be informed about the requirements of the project during the CAS lessons in November/December DP1.
Anytime after that they should at least have some ideas of what they could possibly do, these might not yet be specific or proposed yet.
You may want to remind them of the fact that they need to complete at least one project which should be a collaborative and sustained experience of at least a month's duration that challenges them to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance and develop skills such as problem solving, and decision making. The project can address any single strand of CAS or combine two or all three strands. The CAS stages framework needs to be used to plan and implement the project.
HOW DID YOU CAS INTERVIEW GO?
Your son/daughter will have three official interview with the coordinator, these are not graded or assessed. These are purely used as a check up on the students progress in CAS. Comments will be left by the coordinator on the students cas portfolio after the interview has taken place, it might be that some advise is given on how to proceed. You can ask you son/daughter to show you this comment in their portfolio.
Your son/daughter will have three official interview with the coordinator, these are not graded or assessed. These are purely used as a check up on the students progress in CAS. Comments will be left by the coordinator on the students cas portfolio after the interview has taken place, it might be that some advise is given on how to proceed. You can ask you son/daughter to show you this comment in their portfolio.
ARE YOU ENJOYING CAS?
A very important questions as this is totally in hands of your son/daughter, they are encouraged to link their CAS programme to their personal interests and passions. They have control in which experiences they want to do. If they don't find it enjoyable they might need to focus more on how to make it an enjoyable experience for themselves rather than doing something they think would be good.
Allow them to be creative in what they want to and can do!!
Your son/daughter might say that they find writing the reflections very boring and therefore don't enjoy CAS.
If that is the case encourage them to find other forms in which they can reflect, they are even encouraged by us to reflect in a more creative way rather than only writing in a in journal post. They could for instance create a blog, create vlogs, audio record their thoughts, create song lyrics, make an artwork or illustration, a word cloud. Throughout there CAS lessons they will be exposed to different forms of reflection.
A very important questions as this is totally in hands of your son/daughter, they are encouraged to link their CAS programme to their personal interests and passions. They have control in which experiences they want to do. If they don't find it enjoyable they might need to focus more on how to make it an enjoyable experience for themselves rather than doing something they think would be good.
Allow them to be creative in what they want to and can do!!
Your son/daughter might say that they find writing the reflections very boring and therefore don't enjoy CAS.
If that is the case encourage them to find other forms in which they can reflect, they are even encouraged by us to reflect in a more creative way rather than only writing in a in journal post. They could for instance create a blog, create vlogs, audio record their thoughts, create song lyrics, make an artwork or illustration, a word cloud. Throughout there CAS lessons they will be exposed to different forms of reflection.
DO YOU ALREADY HAVE AN EXPERIENCE FOR EACH CAS STAND?
Student should have a variety of experience and should ensure that they have some for each of the CAS strands (creativity, activity & service). If they don't have something yet for each of them you might want to help them on brainstorming what they possibly could do.
You can use this page (see the second section) for more information on what each strand means and see examples.
Student should have a variety of experience and should ensure that they have some for each of the CAS strands (creativity, activity & service). If they don't have something yet for each of them you might want to help them on brainstorming what they possibly could do.
You can use this page (see the second section) for more information on what each strand means and see examples.