Some schools require students to complete summer assignments over summer vacation to assure that students are still learning. These projects can take the form of summer reading, a study guide, or other means to gain background knowledge about the class. Summer projects are used to help make sure that students keep learning over the summer, and so they come to school in the fall prepared. Because summer projects are supposed to help students prepare, some question whether the projects should be designed by students or teachers in order to ensure the students learn. Summer projects should be teacher-designed because this allows for easier grading, gives students an idea of what class will be like, and actually assures that the student is learning.

Those who oppose this may say that student-designed projects allow the students to choose freely. They argue that free choice by the students will allow the student to be more interested in the topic and actually learn more. If students can freely design their own individual projects, then they may put more effort into the project and make more of an attempt to learn. While this may be true, if every student has a different project design, then it will be very difficult for teachers to grade. If the teacher designs the project then the teacher can create a rubric to easily make sure that the student actually learned over the summer.

Teacher-designed summer projects allow for easier grading, because a specific rubric can make grading easier and more equal. For example, if a high school English teacher has 30 students who all design their own project, the teacher will have to grade 30 completely different projects to see if the student learned. This may be difficult because one student may make a presentation showing a time line of specific events in a book or novel, while another student may write a research report on the usage of different parts of speech in common language. These are completely different topics and mediums of presenting information that relate to English, but the teacher will still have to grade them equally. This will be difficult for the teacher, because the projects have very little in common other than being related to English. The teacher may have a hard time giving a fair grade to students, because the projects are so different. On the other hand, if the teacher designs the project, then they can grade the projects equally and easily. Even if the project design is as simple as "make a presentation relating to English," the teacher can still grade each project the same because they all have something in common other than relating to English. The teacher can then grade the projects quickly and easily to be able to move on and teach throughout the school year.

Teacher-designed summer projects show students what class will be like, because the summer project will likely be similar to assignments they will receive in class. For example, if a teacher designs the project to be a research report, students can infer that the rest of the class will be research related. This will prepare students for the class, and help students know what skills they need to improve on in order to be successful in the class. Students will be able to see what they are struggling with and have a chance to reflect and improve before the school year begins and their grade is negatively affected. For example, if a student is not as good as researching and writing research reports, they will know that they must work on researching. They will only really be able to know if the teacher designs the project. If the teacher designs the project, then they can help students learn not only the content of the class, but also the skills required to be successful in the class. This may not happen with a student-designed project because the student may not know what the class will entail and they may design an easy project, only to be surprised when the class utilizes learning techniques other than the student had practiced with their summer project.

Teacher-designed summer projects actually assure that the student is learning. For example, a math teacher may assign a packet or worksheet over the summer to show students what kind of math they will be learning in the school year and what they should already know going into the class. This allows the student to return to school prepared for a more difficult class. If the student designs their own project, they may want to work on easier subjects from past years so they do not have to think as much over the summer. They will show up to class unprepared for more difficult learning, and may struggle in the beginning of the year. The teacher knows what the students will need to learn, so the teacher should design the project. Teacher-designed projects show the student what they are up against, and force the student to learn over the summer so they are not stunned in class.

In conclusion, summer projects should be teacher-designed because they allow the teachers to more easily evaluate the students' work, shows the student what kinds of assignments they will recieve, and shows the student what to prepare for once school starts. Teacher-designed projects will be easier for the teacher to grade, because they can be of uniform design be graded equally. Additionally, they show students what assignments will be like and show the student if they need to work on different aspects of their work, such as research. Finally, teacher-designed projects will show students what aspects of curriculum they need to work on, such as different types of math. On their own, students may not be able to learn the curriculum or work aspects, so the teachers must design projects to help them out. When given the choice between a teacher-designed summer project and a student-designed project, choose teacher-designed in order to help the students learn and prepare.