Summer projects in high school are assigned for the purpose of preparatory and individual learning to show the student what kind of work load they will be facing over the course of the curriculum year. Therefore, these projects should be thorough, have clear directions, should pertain to the curriculum of the class it is assigned for, as well as have a specific rubric to make sure the project is completed at such a level that is satisfactory to the course instructor. Furthermore, the teacher of the course should be the one to design and assign these summer projects.

An assignment over the summer is most likely not a very popular means of preparation for the students; however, it is necessary in a high-level course, so that the students may learn the pace, content, and expectations of the course, as well as receive an introduction to the instructor. The prompt written by the instructor should be thorough, detailing what the students must accomplish, and what they must pay attention to in order to score well on the assignment. The instructions for the assignment are nothing less than imperative. A thoroughly-written prompt is extremely helpful to the student, in that they can make sure every expectation is clear and fulfilled to its greatest extent.

A rubric, very similarly to the instructions, should be created professionally. A detailed rubric can also aid the student in creating a project that meets all expectations of the instructor to their fullest extent. In parallel, it also aids the instructor in grading and comparing the aforementioned project to the expectations detailed in the rubric. A professionally-created rubric not only aids the student, but also the teacher.

The preparatory nature of these summer assignments should automatically align them with a specifically and prefessionally crafted topic and rubric that pertains to the curriculum of the course. However, if these projects were to be created by students, there would still be a beneficial yield. Students would receive a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of the material before the start of the year, and then measure their progress, all while having the freedom of choice to determine which topic they would like to research or work on. This method, however, could lead to sloppiness and the lack of thorough and detailed work regarding their own created prompt. Students would also lack a rubric to use to outline and detail the expectations of the instructor.

A summer assignment that is created and assigned by the instructor has much more benefit than allowing the student to create their own. A concise and well-written prompt and instructions are of enormous benefit to the student working on the assignment, and a rubric only adds to that benefit by outlining the expectations and requirements to receive a high score. These assignments, while somewhat annoying to do in the summertime away from school, are of immense help to the students whom are taking these courses in the long run. An instructor's introduction is imperative to the student's overall success, not only in the project, but also in the entire upcoming school year.