Literacy, the ability to read and write, is of great importance to the success of students throughout their lives. The problem the study addressed was low literacy achievement levels of third and fourth grade students. The information gained from this study was important because it helped staff members at the research site identify the impact of balanced literacy on student performance. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of guided reading instructional strategies on the literacy achievement levels of third and fourth grade students in a rural southeast Missouri elementary school. The theoretical basis for the study was constructivism and its relationship to balanced literacy. The key research questions of the study sought to determine how guided reading impacted student literacy levels, reading engagement, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. The research design was a quasi-experimental, quantitative study. Quantitative data were collected for the 2015-16 school year to determine if student literacy and the associated subgroups had increased. The data sets included a combination of the Developmental Reading Assessment, 2nd Edition (DRA2), and the STAR Reading Assessment (STAR). 18 "t"-tests were used to determine if guided reading made a significant impact on student performance. Each t-test compared pre- and post-test results for all participants. The researcher analyzed the results and concluded guided reading had a significant impact on student literacy. The results suggested guided reading instruction can result in student growth in measures of reading level, reading engagement, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]