UAIS CAS & Extended Essay Parent Presentation June 7, 2012
Tonight’s Goals/Objectives Provide a general overview of Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) and Extended Essay (EE) Review requirements for eligibility of the IB diploma Explain the general roles and responsibilities of both students and parents
IB Diploma Hexagon
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.
CASCommunity Service At least 150 hoursLess than 75 hours Goal-orientedHour-oriented Ongoing evaluation by interviewsSingle evaluation by completion Internationally-mindedLocally focused Requires extended projectRequires none Requires deep reflectionRequires minimal or no reflection Activities demand personal challenge Activities often menial in nature Creativity and action requiredOnly service required
Benefits of CAS Emotional maturity and personal growth Development of interviewing skills Community networking Career preparation Real world experience High quality college recommendation letters and teacher LORs
CAS Requirements for Graduation At least 150 total hours of CAS Sustained for at least 18 months Completion of at least one extended project Sustained reflections on managebac Adequate balance of creativity, action, and service Completion of five personal interviews with CAS advisor
CAS Requirements for Graduation 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 interviews with students 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 Required for activities/projects Provides guidance/training Monitors attendance Report to student’s advisor at end of activity regarding quality of student’s performance Can be teachers or other adults in the local community, but not UAIS parents or family members
Managebac (uais.managebac.com) Funded through student dues Website storage facility for all CAS and other IB-related student information All documentation, proposals, and reflections are virtual Parent access coming in fall 2012
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
Extended Essay
IBO Mandate “From 2010 onwards, 28 points will be required to be eligible for the diploma if a student attains an “E” grade in either the extended essay or theory of knowledge…Attaining a grade “E” in both the extended essay and theory of knowledge continues to represent an automatic failure.” --Extended Essay Guide, 2009
Supervisor’s Role 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 ◦ Process begins junior year ◦ Topics chosen/supervisors assigned early 2013 ◦ Research period/OU field trip is spring 2013 ◦ Summer homework focus: CAS/EE/College ◦ Rough draft due first week of senior year ◦ Final draft due no later than December 2013
Extended Essay Process 7/8 = Pre-Writing/Draft Phase Student & supervisor work together to: Explore and discuss ideas Locate appropriate resources Discuss readings and ideas Develop a suitable research question Supervisor monitors progress Represents hours of work per student 1/8 = Writing Phase Student works independently to: Write EE draft Revision conference drives final draft of essay Prepare the final EE Represents 5-10 hours of work per student
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
CAS & EE: Parent Do’s Inquire about due dates with your child Make the core (TOK, CAS, EE) as much a part of your school discussions as classes Be informed and responsible about their activities Join your child in an activity! Support transportation requests for CAS and EE requirements Encourage completion of full draft before school starts senior year Suggest activities/projects that may develop future career skills
CAS & EE: Parent Don’ts Focus too narrowly on grades, grades, 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
CAS & EE Parent Contract Verifies parents understand tonight’s objectives: ◦ Importance of CAS/EE to IB Diploma ◦ Parent and student roles/responsibilities ◦ General requirements for CAS and EE
Contact Information Websites: uaiscas.com & uaisresearch.com Managebac: uais.managebac.com Phone: