Using self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) as the theoretical framework, this study explored how high-school GPA and motivation contributed to academic performance and persistence among students enrolled in developmental-education courses during the fall of 2016 at a two-year technical college in the Midwest. A non-random purposive sample of 47 participants completed the "Academic Motivation Scale" (Vallerand, et al., 1992) to assess their motivations for attending college. Results from this study found high-school GPA to be a significant predictor of fall term GPA, but did not significantly predict persistence. Findings also indicated that extrinsic motivation correlated with higher fall-term GPA, but overall motivation did not emerge as a significant predictor of academic performance. Previous research linked intrinsically-oriented motivation to student success over time, however, this study found that extrinsic motivation in developmental-education students contributed significantly to persistence. Implications from this research are that using high-school GPAs may help inform course placement decisions, but motivation would not be recommended for use in making placement decisions without further empirical investigation. In addition, motivational assessments might be better used by institutions to identify students who could benefit from targeted programs or instructional strategies to meet their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness to enhance intrinsic motivation and long-term success. [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.]