The Smart Step Literacy Lab Project is a rigorous 14 day staff development designed for all teachers (content English/reading/language arts, resource), media specialists and principals of students in grades 4 - 12.  The training covers a two-year period.  Seven days in year one cover the material and research needed for teachers to implement a reading workshop environment in their classrooms.  Those days address the need for creating engaging literate environments in classrooms, as well as instruction in fluency and comprehension strategies in that moving culture.  Seven days in year two are designed to instruct teachers to use assessment as the driver of instruction and to implement writing workshops in their classrooms along with vocabulary and word study instruction.  An additional benefit of the Smart Step program is acquiring graduate degree credit.