I am a… CAS Advisor February , 2017 Introduction This presentation is a guide for CAS advisors who are reviewing CAS portfolios on Managebac. Helping students find CAS experiences Encouraging students to embrace their life outside academics through creativity, active life and service. CAS advisors who need a beginning “checklist” and an approach to handling CAS advising duties. When is it OKAY to… Mark activities as approved? Mark activities as complete? Students Initiating an Experience/Project Review target setting document completed at the beginning of the year. Verbally discuss general ideas with students. Ask questions to ensure the experience is geared towards CAS – CAS strands, learning outcomes, goals, CAS stages etc. Always inform the CAS Coordinator about new and possible CAS experiences. Always discuss with the CAS team as we can help each other brainstorm Reviewing Activities The process is official when a student creates a new experience/project in Managebac. CAS advisor receives email or logs into Managebac and sees that a new experience has been entered. CAS Experience Checklist 1. Is this a single experience, series of experience or a project? * Projects must involve collaboration, include CAS stages and be at least 1 month. Proposals submitted for all experiences that are not CCAs. 2. What is the approach? 1.Ongoing (remove the tag manually when the experience is over) 2. School-based 2. Community-based 2. Individual 3. What are the dates (start and end)? Are they reasonable and realistic? The number of hours are not calculated for CAS but for references purposes students enter them. 4. Is there at least one paragraph for description and goals for the experience? No obvious spelling or grammar mistakes. Includes a schedule of timings and location 5. Are the learning outcomes achievable and realistic and pertain to the experience? Students have to show evidence of achieving the learning outcomes? 6. CAS Supervisors: Should be supervised by a mentor but can be self-supervised Use of parents/family members to supervise is not allowed External supervisors: Letter, consent form, evaluation form. Internal supervisors: CAS supervisor Package Before approving the experience on Managebac - After clicking on the experience title, click “Edit CAS Experience” to view this page - After approving the experience, students cannot access this section - Advisors can edit the section. If you change anything, leave a note to let the students know. - Advisors can help fix minor errors but don’t change too much. CAS No No’s The following are absolutely not allowed: No Paid work. No Fund-raising (*approved only for select experiences) No Religious proselytizing. Work done by a religious group in the wider community, provided that the objectives are clearly secular, may qualify as CAS. Ex: Working in a church to run a food bank. No required course work for an IB course allowed (double dipping) Ex: G4 projects, class projects, Internal Assessment research etc. Students can be inspired by their IB coursework for CAS. Experience Review Checklist A good experience • Time period and level of engagement are • Appropriate CAS strands • Clear goals, description, schedule… • Supervisor has appropriate skills. • Proof of achieving learning outcomes through reflection and evidence. • Regular evidence in various forms (photos, videos etc. • Deep and higher order reflections • Evidence of consistent involvement, ideally weekly. A bad experience • • • • • • • • • • Unrealistic time frame Hours excessive for time period. Doesn’t fit a CAS strand No clear goals, description, schedule… Shallow description with spelling errors. No time schedule Family member as supervisor. Too many learning outcomes that cannot be achieved. Not enough evidence No reflections No evidence of regular involvement Experience Review Checklist A good experience/project: Completion Checklist Ask students to notify you when they complete an experience. Completed experiences should have: At least three reflections of at least one paragraph. Encourage students to reflect throughout –beginning middle and end at the most. Should address learning outcomes. Accept minimal spelling and grammar. Evidence entered in Managebac (e.g. photos). Supervisor review/ supervisor evaluation form. *If students fulfill the above requirements, they will be on-track. A little more Be the best advisor you can be… CAS Demonstration stage Make note of notable CAS experiences to present during assembly or display in OIS. Encourage students to reflect in creative ways – videos, pamphlets, magazine reviews etc… Inspire students to be proud of their portfolios to share with others Finding Experiences and Supervisors for students Students need our help to find opportunities for CAS. Keep your ears and eyes open for CAS opportunities. Ask teachers if they want to get involved in CAS to mentor and supervise students. Help students initiate Projects by finding good mentors.
