Aoba-Japan International School (A-JIS), a leading international school for nearly 50 years, has been committed to delivering high-quality IB education in Tokyo. A-JIS is also part of the IB’s online DP pilot, aiming to expand access to international education through digital learning.
Without a centralized system, tracking the DP Core especially in this hybrid model was time-consuming and scattered. Keeping CAS experiences organized, monitoring EE milestones, and ensuring meaningful TOK integration across subjects became increasingly difficult for the staff at A-JIS.
“One of the biggest challenges in DP schools is managing CAS, EE, and the various IAs and EAs. Keeping track of student progress, supervisor check-ins, and all the administrative requirements is a huge task. Our school relied on Google Sheets, which worked, but quickly became complex and time-consuming,” observes Damian Rentoule, Head of Campus, A-JIS.
Managing EE, CAS, and TOK often meant juggling spreadsheets, email chains, and disconnected tools
“DP itself is the most administratively demanding of all IB programmes, with DP Core even more so. Keeping up with EE drafts, verifying CAS reflections against learning outcomes, tracking RPPFs – all while ensuring TOK is meaningfully integrated across subjects was an uphill battle,” explains Rentoule.
“EE coordination relied on endless email reminders and manually checking whether students had submitted drafts or met key deadlines. CAS tracking was equally challenging, with coordinators chasing students for updates, cross-referencing experiences with IB requirements, and verifying if reflections met the learning outcomes.”
Rentoule adds, “TOK, in particular, was often taught in isolation, with teachers lacking the structure and support to integrate it seamlessly across subjects.”
Adopting a system with the DP Core workflow built into it simplified tracking, collaboration, and student support
By switching to Toddle, A-JIS transformed its approach to the DP Core, bringing clarity and efficiency to every step. “We used to spend hours each week managing the chaos of the IBDP Core. But Toddle brought everything together – student reflections, EE milestones, CAS tracking, and TOK collaboration – in one place. The transition was seamless, and we immediately saw the difference,” says Rentoule.
Effortless CAS tracking meant less time spent on admin work
As Rentoule recalls, “Before Toddle, CAS tracking was a constant struggle. Coordinators had to chase updates and manually verify whether each CAS experience aligned with the IB’s seven learning outcomes. There was no easy way to see who was on track and who needed support.”
Now, with Toddle, everything is centralized and transparent. Students log their CAS experiences – whether it’s a video, a Google Doc, or a sketch – and reflect on their learning outcomes, all in one place. Coordinators can instantly track the number of experiences each student has completed, the learning outcomes they’ve achieved, the status of their portfolios, and even how many interviews they’ve attended.
Instead of sifting through emails and spreadsheets, coordinators can see the progress of 30+ CAS projects at a glance, receive notifications for missing entries, and step in with real-time feedback.
Structured EE management led to higher-quality submissions
Managing EE was previously a major challenge, with supervisors struggling to keep track of students’ progress. “With 50+ students, keeping track of progress was difficult. Our supervisors would rely on scattered emails and spreadsheets, making it hard to step in before deadlines loomed,” shares Rentoule.
“Toddle has turned EE tracking into a seamless, structured process. Supervisors can instantly see where each student stands – whether they’re still refining their research question, submitting a draft, or preparing their final essay. The entire EE journey is mapped out, from the proposal stage to the RPPF completion, with built-in deadlines and reminders. This keeps students on track while allowing supervisors to focus on meaningful guidance rather than chasing updates,” shares Rentoule.
“For coordinators,” Rentoule adds, “Toddle provides a high-level dashboard to monitor EE progress across the entire cohort. They can see which students need additional support, verify deadlines, and ensure that no student is left behind.”
Supervisors and coordinators weren’t the only ones who saw a difference. Students now have a clearer, more organized path through their EE journey as well. “We love how Toddle gives our students a dedicated RRS where they can document their entire EE journey – from drafting proposals to submitting final essays,” says Rentoule.
With built-in academic resources, Turnitin integration and pre-built templates embedded directly into Toddle, students receive structured guidance at every stage.
Toddle makes TOK integration seamless and meaningful
“Before Toddle, managing the TOK was a disconnected process. Students needed to find IB-provided essay titles on their own, teachers had to manually follow up on deadlines, and tracking progress across the essay and exhibition was time-consuming,” shares Rentoule.
But Toddle’s dedicated TOK module made everything structured and easy to access. “Students can now see IB-released essay titles directly on Toddle, explore annotated exemplars, and plan their work in a clear, organized space. Instead of scrambling to find resources, everything they need is in one place.”
Another key challenge for teachers at AJIS was making TOK a meaningful part of every subject. Rentoule observes, “Integrating TOK across subjects hasn’t always been easy. Teachers often relied on their own experiences, which can be limiting, especially for those less familiar with TOK.”
“Toddle AI has helped solve this challenge by instantly generating subject-specific TOK connections. It gives teachers a host of fresh ideas they might not have considered before. Instead of spending time just finding links, they can now focus on refining and deepening them.”
DP Core is now being done in the right spirit
“Before Toddle, students often saw the DP Core as just a checklist – deadlines, interviews, and requirements to get through. The real learning behind it sometimes got lost. Now, that’s changing with Toddle”
He continues, “Because it’s so intuitive, students get that extra little nudge to engage more intentionally in their learning instead of seeing it as a box to tick. If for example, they’re documenting their work with an NGO, they might plan to write a reflection and then notice the video option and decide to also record their experience, and then write a little reflection along with it. It just opens up so many more ways to express their learning.”
The dashboard shows exactly which learning outcomes they’ve met and where they need more evidence, giving them a clear sense of progress.”
“The review log has also changed how students engage. They can request feedback at any stage, refine their reflections, and improve their work based on real-time feedback from the teacher. It becomes an ongoing learning process rather than a one-time submission.”
“The biggest change is that DP Core doesn’t feel like paperwork anymore. Students actively engage, take ownership, and see their progress unfold in real time. They don’t see Toddle as a transactional platform to document learning. They see it as a partner in their learning.”
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.
