Because of its continued commitment to and investment in high-quality early & elementary learning, West Virginia has established itself as a national leader in the area of early learning. This accolade is not uncommon for West Virginia's early learning system, as West Virginia has a history of leading the nation in early learning and with efforts to close achievement gaps. Building on the successes of its Universal Pre-K program, West Virginia has continued to demonstrate a strong commitment to early & elementary learning that spans through grade five. State leaders including the State Superintendent of Schools, legislators, and the Governor have capitalized on the successes of pre-k and kindergarten to support a comprehensive approach to early learning that reaches through fifth grade. This support has been coined as the Campaign for Grade-level Reading. The Campaign for Grade-level Reading is a comprehensive approach that tackles areas like school readiness, attendance, summer learning loss, and improved classroom instruction. In December 2017, West Virginia was recognized as the first state in the nation to develop and implement a statewide Campaign for Grade-level Reading. These efforts combined have resulted in an increase in achievement by West Virginia students. To tell the story behind the data included in this annual report, a timeline of early & elementary learning accomplishments is below. Beginning with the development of five-day, full-day kindergarten for all students in the mid-1990s, West Virginia has continued to foster a progressive approach to early & elementary learning to best meet the holistic needs of all young children in the state. [For the 2017 annual report, see ED594497.]