The purposes of this study were to provide a system of classification of the motivational characteristics of the high-risk student, to submit this system to instructors of a selected sample of high-risk students for their classification of the students, to test the reliability of the raters by an analysis of variance formula, and to design a communications curriculum for these students. The subjects were 243 students of the Basic Studies Program, General Studies Division of South Campus, Tarrant County Junior College in Fort Worth, Texas. Some of the findings were that there is a need for a variety of instructional modes to implement the curriculum, the curriculum can be designed to provide a level of success for all students in the program, the characteristics of the students are more important than the subject matter and the instructional procedures, and the Basic Studies program in the communications curriculum was effective. The implication of this investigation is that the certain failure predicted by bottom quartile test entry scores of community college students is reversible. (Author/RB)