The IB Career-related Programme (CP) is built around a unique feature: its Core — a set of interconnected components that develop students’ personal, ethical, and professional capacities.

Unlike traditional subjects that rely solely on grades or exams, the CP Core encourages educators to assess something deeper: growth.

Evaluating progress in the Core means understanding how students evolve as thinkers, communicators, collaborators, and ethical decision-makers — not just how well they perform academically.

Quick Start Checklist: Keys to Assessing the CP Core

• Align assessment with Core learning outcomes and IB standards.
• Focus on reflection and development over time, not single results.
• Use portfolios and progress logs for authentic evidence.
• Encourage self-assessment and peer feedback.
• Integrate teacher observation and mentoring into evaluation.

Assessment in the Core is not about ranking students — it’s about recognizing and supporting their journey toward lifelong learning.

1. Understanding the Purpose of the CP Core

The CP Core ties the entire programme together.
It includes four interrelated components:

1. Personal and Professional Skills (PPS)
2. Community Engagement
3. Reflective Project
4. Language and Cultural Studies (LCS)

Together, these elements help students link academic learning (from DP courses) and professional experience (from CRS) to personal growth and ethical awareness.

Evaluating the Core means examining how students connect these areas — academically, socially, and personally.

2. What Evaluation Looks Like in the CP Context

In the IB, evaluation is formative, reflective, and authentic.
Rather than judging isolated performances, teachers track ongoing progress through multiple methods.

Evaluation focuses on:

• Learning outcomes rather than grades.
• Evidence of skill development over time.
• Student reflection and metacognition.
• Ethical reasoning and intercultural understanding.

This approach aligns with the IB’s mission to create reflective, balanced, and principled learners prepared for real-world challenges.

3. Setting Clear Learning Outcomes

Before any assessment begins, schools must define learning outcomes for each Core component.
These outcomes act as benchmarks for evaluating student growth.

Examples:

• PPS: Students demonstrate improved communication, collaboration, and self-management skills.
• Community Engagement: Students identify, act on, and reflect upon community issues.
• Reflective Project: Students analyze ethical dilemmas related to their career field with evidence and critical insight.
• Language and Cultural Studies: Students show increased proficiency and intercultural understanding.

Clarity in outcomes ensures that evaluation remains consistent, transparent, and purposeful.

4. The Role of Reflection in Evaluation

Reflection is at the heart of the CP Core — and therefore central to evaluation.
Students are encouraged to document their learning journey, identify challenges, and articulate personal growth.

Reflective evidence can include:

• Learning journals or digital blogs.
• Regular “check-in” entries about PPS or community projects.
• End-of-term reflections summarizing skill development.
• Oral reflections recorded as part of portfolio submissions.

Teachers assess not the writing quality alone, but the depth of reflection — how thoughtfully students analyze their progress and experiences.

5. Portfolios: Tracking Progress Authentically

The student portfolio is one of the most powerful tools for evaluating the CP Core.
It provides an evolving record of learning across all components.

Effective portfolios include:

• Written reflections and progress updates.
• Evidence from community engagement (photos, reports, presentations).
• Language and cultural study milestones.
• Supervisor feedback and student action plans.

By reviewing portfolios regularly, teachers can observe growth, provide feedback, and celebrate achievement throughout the two-year program.

6. Evaluating the Personal and Professional Skills (PPS) Component

PPS focuses on transferable competencies — communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, and resilience.

Strategies for evaluation:

• Observation checklists during collaborative or presentation activities.
• Student self-assessments on progress toward personal goals.
• Peer evaluations in group tasks.
• Teacher reflections summarizing growth across PPS outcomes.

The key is to assess application of skills in varied contexts, not rote memorization or theoretical knowledge.

7. Evaluating Community Engagement

Community Engagement assessment should capture how students apply learning through action.

Teachers can evaluate by asking:

• Did the student identify a genuine community need?
• Did they engage ethically and respectfully with stakeholders?
• Did reflection show personal and civic growth?
• Were outcomes documented clearly and thoughtfully?

Evidence can come from project proposals, journals, supervisor feedback, and community testimonials — all supporting a holistic evaluation of learning impact.

8. Evaluating the Reflective Project

The Reflective Project is externally moderated by the IB but also supported and evaluated internally throughout its development.

Key teacher responsibilities:

• Monitor progress through regular check-ins.
• Provide formative feedback on drafts and ethical reasoning.
• Ensure academic honesty and proper research documentation.
• Evaluate process journals to gauge growth in critical thinking and reflection.

Students are graded using IB criteria (ranging from A–E), but teachers’ formative evaluation throughout the process plays a vital developmental role.

9. Evaluating Language and Cultural Studies (LCS)

Language and Cultural Studies assessment emphasizes communication and intercultural competence, not just grammar or vocabulary.

Teachers evaluate:

• Progress toward personal language goals.
• Engagement with cultural texts, conversations, or projects.
• Reflection on how language shapes worldview and professional identity.
• Evidence of functional fluency or cultural participation.

Students can demonstrate achievement through creative outputs — such as interviews, videos, or bilingual presentations — tailored to their learning context.

10. The Role of Feedback in Core Evaluation

Feedback in the CP Core is ongoing and dialogic — it happens through conversation as much as grading.

Effective feedback should be:

• Timely: Provided regularly during projects, not just at the end.
• Constructive: Focused on growth, not only critique.
• Reflective: Encouraging self-evaluation and next steps.
• Aligned: Connected to the IB learner profile and Core outcomes.

Feedback becomes a learning tool — reinforcing metacognition, ownership, and confidence.

11. Encouraging Self and Peer Assessment

Self-assessment empowers students to take responsibility for their progress, while peer assessment builds empathy and collaborative awareness.

Approaches include:

• Goal-setting checklists completed at the start of each term.
• Peer reviews of reflections or presentations using shared rubrics.
• End-of-unit surveys where students evaluate their own growth.
• Group discussions linking feedback to future action plans.

These strategies create a culture of shared accountability and trust within the CP classroom.

12. Using Rubrics and Criteria for Consistency

Consistency across evaluation is crucial, especially when multiple teachers assess different Core components.

Schools should:

• Develop common rubrics aligned with IB Core learning outcomes.
• Use descriptive, qualitative criteria rather than percentage scores.
• Provide exemplars or model reflections for calibration.
• Review moderation results to ensure equity.

This shared framework ensures fairness while allowing room for individualized feedback.

13. Leveraging Technology in Core Evaluation

Digital tools make it easier to collect, organize, and evaluate evidence of progress.

Teachers can use:

• Digital portfolios (Google Sites, ManageBac, or Teams).
• AI-assisted feedback tools for writing support (with ethical guidance).
• Online reflection journals for PPS and Community Engagement.
• Collaboration platforms for peer evaluation.

These systems simplify feedback loops and give students more ownership of their growth documentation.

14. Reporting Progress to Students and Parents

Transparent reporting is vital for building trust and understanding.
Instead of traditional grades, many schools use narrative reports or progress descriptors for the Core.

Reports can include:

• Student reflections.
• Teacher comments on strengths and areas for development.
• Updates on CRS and DP integration.
• Next-step recommendations for goal setting.

This holistic approach reflects the IB’s emphasis on learning as a process, not a product.

15. Continuous Improvement for Teachers and Schools

Evaluation isn’t just for students — it’s also an opportunity for teachers and coordinators to reflect.

Schools should regularly review:

• How effectively Core components are integrated.
• The consistency of assessment practices.
• Student feedback on the relevance of activities.
• Professional development needs related to evaluation and reflection.

These insights drive ongoing refinement of the CP’s delivery and impact.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does the CP Core have official IB grading like DP subjects?
Only the Reflective Project is externally moderated and graded (A–E). Other Core components are internally assessed for learning outcomes and completion.

2. How often should teachers evaluate progress in the Core?
Regularly — ideally through continuous formative feedback, mid-term check-ins, and final reflections.

3. What kind of evidence should students include in Core portfolios?
Reflections, project reports, supervisor comments, media artifacts, and documentation of language learning or community work.

4. How do teachers ensure fairness across Core components?
By using shared rubrics, moderation sessions, and collaborative planning between Core staff.

5. What’s the ultimate goal of evaluating the CP Core?
To help students understand how they learn and grow — connecting academic study, ethical reflection, and real-world application.

Conclusion: Evaluating Growth, Not Just Grades

The CP Core captures the essence of the IB mission — helping students become reflective, principled, and skilled individuals ready for life beyond school.

Evaluating progress within it requires more than numbers: it demands insight, empathy, and intentional feedback.

When teachers focus on growth rather than performance, students gain the confidence and awareness to apply their learning in any context — academic, professional, or personal.

Assessment, in the CP Core, isn’t the end of learning — it’s part of becoming.