Colegio San Cristóbal, an international K–12 school in Spain, has been offering the IB Diploma Programme (DP) for over 7 years. In its early years, the school relied on makeshift tech solutions to support the program. It was only during the school’s five-year review that a visiting IBDP evaluator highlighted the benefits of using platforms specifically designed for the IBDP framework, prompting the school to reevaluate its current system.
“His feedback was the turning point for us,” explains Javier, the pedagogical director for secondary and high school. “We uncovered so many inefficiencies, especially in managing the DP Core, and it became clear that a platform built specifically for the DP would be transformative.”
Managing complex IBDP requirements across multiple disconnected platforms
Javier realized their old system was buckling under the complexity of the IBDP. “Without the IBDP core built into our old platform, we had separate spreadsheets for tracking Extended Essays (EE) for each student, notebooks for recording each of the CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) interviews, and then personal calendars for managing submission deadlines. Teachers were constantly switching between tools and documents, trying to piece everything together,” Javier explained. “It felt like chaos—endless back-and-forth, juggling paper trails and digital files. Instead of focusing on what students were learning from the IBDP core, we were stuck managing the logistics of it all.”
Switching to a platform with the IBDP core built into it
Recognizing the need for a more efficient solution for implementing the IBDP core, Javier made the decision to transition to Toddle. “An evaluator had recommended we look into a platform built for the IB,” he recalls. “At first, I wasn’t familiar with any, but after exploring the different options out there, it became clear that Toddle brought together essential tasks like assignment tracking, the IBDP core, and family communication into one unified platform, which is exactly what we needed.”
“I realized that Toddle could not only meet all our IBDP needs in one place, but also address the school’s key challenges with the IBDP Core. We saw how it could make a significant difference streamlining CAS, TOK, and the EE while improving coordination and tracking student progress. That’s when we decided to make the switch.”
Effortless CAS tracking ensured better accountability for students and teachers
“Before Toddle, CAS tracking was a time-consuming process. With nowhere on our platform to keep track of it, students would upload their CAS experiences to their blog, and teachers would have to navigate through each blog one by one,” Javier explained. “It wasn’t efficient, and many times, students failed to submit on time or missed key requirements.”
“With Toddle, CAS management has become incredibly streamlined. Students now upload their work—whether in text, audio, video, or multimodal submissions—and the platform automatically notifies our teachers.They could provide instant feedback directly on the submission, making it easy to guide students in real-time and not have to wait for their scheduled interviews. Parents are also kept informed, receiving live updates on their child’s progress. This has transformed the process, making it smooth, organized, and accessible to all stakeholders. It’s no longer a hassle. CAS tracking became seamless with Toddle.”
Streamlined EE management showed significant improvement in quality of student submissions
Managing the Extended Essay (EE) is a crucial part of the IBDP, but it can be challenging to ensure students stay on track—whether it’s for students, teachers, or parents. “Before, it was difficult to keep track of all the drafts and deadlines. We had to handle everything manually, which took up a lot of time,” Javier explained. “Now, we can manage everything related to the EE in Toddle. We loved how we could start by assigning supervisors for all students in one place, ensuring that, based on their areas of expertise, no single teacher was overwhelmed or underutilized.”
“What’s more,” Javier elaborated, “the collaborative features allowed us to monitor progress at every stage—from topic proposals to drafts—so we could step in whenever needed. We could easily set deadlines and schedule interviews within the platform, and students didn’t even have to wait for those interviews to ask questions—they could simply leave comments for real-time discussions.”
“This streamlined process helped students submit drafts on time, receive prompt feedback, and stay on schedule for project completion. We’ve noticed a significant improvement in the quality of their EE submissions, with students feeling much more supported and far less stressed along the way.”
Improved tracking and parent engagement in ToK
“Before Toddle, we were managing TOK requirements as a blog,” Javier explains. “Students would upload their reflections there, and teachers had to enter each blog individually to review and provide feedback. It wasn’t centralized, and tracking progress across students was challenging. This approach often resulted in delays and inefficiencies,” Javier elaborates, “There were times when reflections were incomplete or not submitted, and it was hard to keep a clear overview of where each student stood in their ToK journey.”
“Now, there is no more confusion, and it’s all in one place with Toddle,” Javier says. “Teachers can see at a glance who has submitted their reflections, provide feedback directly on the platform, and even share this progress with parents. Parents now have real-time updates on their child’s ToK progress. It used to be that they’d only find out at the end of the term when reports came out, but now they’re involved throughout the process,” he adds. Toddle has enabled a more collaborative and transparent system for managing ToK, ensuring both students and educators stay aligned with program goals.
With Toddle, Colegio San Cristobal was able to significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks in IBDP Core, and focus on the things that mattered. “Our time spent managing the logistics has been cut in half,” Javier concluded “Administrative staff now only need about 7-8 hours per week, down from 14 hours. This change has allowed us to shift our focus back to what matters most: what students are learning and taking away from the IBDP Core.”
About Toddle
Toddle is the world’s first AI-powered teaching and learning platform built for teachers by teachers and tailor made for K-12 schools. Going beyond a typical LMS, Toddle streamlines all aspects of teaching & learning from curriculum planning and assessments to progress reports and communication. More than 2,000 schools across the world trust Toddle to help teachers reclaim valuable time to focus on what matters most: teaching.
