UAIS IB Diploma
Parent Presentation
September 9, 2014
Tonight’s Goals/Objectives

Provide a general overview of special program
requirements: Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) and
Extended Essay (EE), and Theory of Knowledge
(TOK)

Review requirements for IB diploma eligibility

Explain the general roles and responsibilities of
students, teachers, and parents

Discuss support structure and communications with
parents
General Regulations:
Diploma Programme
 Please
return by Tuesday, Sept 16th, 2014.
 Document for students & their legal
guardians
 Content and requirements of the IB
Diploma (art.8)
 Award of the IB Diploma (art. 13)
 Recognition of the IB Diploma (art. 5)
 Academic infringement and malpractice (art.
20-25)
◦ Plagiarism and falsifying CAS records
IB Diploma Framework
CAS Definition (Broad)
Creativity: arts and other experiences that
involve creative expression or design
 Action: physical exercise that contributes
to a healthy lifestyle
 Service: unpaid, voluntary exchange that
has a learning benefit for the student

All three components center on experiential
learning.
CAS
Community Service
At least 150 hours
Less than 75 hours
Goal-oriented
Hour-oriented
Ongoing evaluation by interviews
Single evaluation by completion
Internationally-minded
Locally focused
Requires extended project
Requires none
Requires deep reflection
Requires minimal or no reflection
Activities demand personal challenge Activities often menial in nature
Creativity and action required
Only service required
CAS Requirements for IB Diploma
At least 150 total hours of CAS
 Sustained 18 months (no interruptions)
 Completion of one extended CAS project
 Sustained reflections
 Adequate balance of creativity, action, and
service
 Completion of five personal interviews
with CAS advisor

CAS Requirements for IB Diploma
CAS is not awarded points on the
traditional 45-point scale
 Advisors recommended pass or fail
condition
 Failure renders the student automatically
ineligible for the IB diploma

CAS Advisors (UAIS Teachers)
Conduct student interviews
 Monitor range of activities and reflections
 Help students develop and alter goals
 Read and respond to reflections
 Verify involvement of CAS supervisors
 Help troubleshoot potential issues
 Make final recommendations (pass/fail) to
coordinator

CAS Supervisors & CAS Safety
Required for activities/projects
 Provides guidance/training
 Monitors attendance
 Report on student performance
 Can be teachers or other adults in the
local community, but not UAIS parents or
family members
 Know the key players in their CAS world!

Managebac (uais.managebac.com)
Funded through IB Parent Boosters
 Website storage facility for all CAS and
other IB-related student information
 All documentation, proposals, and
reflections are virtual

Extended Essay
Between 3,500-4,000 words
 Subject area of choice for students
 Involves university-level research
 Completed outside of coursework
 Represents a 40-hour commitment
 Externally assessed by IBO evaluator
 Training begins late fall of junior year

Role of Supervisors
A UAIS teacher who:
 Uses expertise in subject area to provide
advice and guidance to students, for a
total of four hours
 Helps define research question
 Aids in the research process
 Reads and comments on one draft
 Submits a predicted grade to the IBO
The UAIS EE Schedule
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◦
◦
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Process begins junior year
Topics chosen/supervisors assigned early 2014
Research period/OU field trip in spring 2015
Summer homework focus: CAS/EE/College
Rough draft due first day of senior year
Final draft due no later than December 2015
EE Parent Reminder
Academic Integrity
Ultimate responsibility lies with student
 Works or ideas of others must be
correctly acknowledged
 Supervisor confirms that the EE the
student submits is authentic work of the
student
 Both plagiarism and collusion—accidental
or not—are forms of malpractice
 Any falsified CAS document, including
reflections, is grounds for malpractice

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

Prior to TOK – 16 years
◦ Acquire vast amounts of knowledge, beliefs
and opinions from academic disciplines and
their lives outside the classroom

During TOK – 2 years
◦ Student as the ‘knower’
◦ Critical thinkers
◦ Knowledge questions– different DP subjects,
CAS experience, Extended Essay research,
real world application
Knowledge Questions
How is the meaning of what is said
affected by silences and omissions, pace,
tone of voice and bodily movement?
How might these factors be influenced in
turn by the social or cultural context?
 Is reason purely objective and universal,
or does it vary across cultures? Is logic
purely objective and universal?

International dimensions

Attributes a citizen of the world needs:
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Self-awareness
Reflective, critical approach
Interest in other people’s points of view
A sense of responsibility
The Assessments

Students need to complete two assessments:
◦ External Assessment—1200-1600 Word Essay
 This is NOT a research paper
◦ Internal Assessment—Oral Presentation (10 minutes)
 Student created knowledge issue
The Core Points Matrix – TOK/EE
UAIS Intervention System
Level 1: Student informed via email and CCed to
Yeokum, Spear, and Layson; alternate deadline set
 Level 2: Student informed via email and CCed to
Yeokum, Spear, and Layson; parent contact by
teacher warning of DP eligibility implications;
alternate deadline set
 Level 3: Student informed via email that diploma
eligibility status is temporarily suspended until
student responds; meeting to plan solution with
Mr. Spear and Mr. Layson; parent contact by
coordinator

UAIS Intervention System
Sets specific internal deadlines among students
and teachers
 Requires communication with parents to help
address the issue
 Provides a specific, individualized student plan to
catch up
 Maximizes IB diploma eligibility

DP Dos for Parents
Make the core (TOK, CAS, EE) as much a
part of your school discussions as classes
 Be informed and responsible about their
activities
 Provide transportation for CAS and EE
requirements
 Encourage completion of full EE draft and
CAS Extended Project before senior year
begins
 Suggest activities/projects that may develop
future career skills
 Utilize the DP Parent Calendar!

DP Don’ts for Parents
Focus too narrowly on grades at the
expense of the core requirements of the
program
 Shy away from asking your child questions
 Fill up the summer between junior and
senior year
 Assume that your otherwise responsible
child will handle all of this gracefully

Coordinator Contact Information
Websites: uaiscas.com & uaisresearch.com
 Managebac: uais.managebac.com
 Email: justin.spear@uticak12.org
 Phone: 586-797-3107
 Email: amyjo.yeokum@uticak12.org
 Phone: 586-797-7192
 Email: christopher.layson@uticak12.org
 Phone: 586-797-3250
