This dissertation study examines new strategies for building a critical, liberatory curriculum in Developmental Writing (DW) courses. It addresses the research question: "What benefits will students demonstrate and describe when experiencing a critical asset-based curriculum, and what would a specific course lesson look like that reflects these benefits if they can be determined?" My subjects are DW students who are predominantly Black, Brown, low-income, and working-class (BBLW) and range in ages 18-35+ who failed to exit the first-year DW courses in college. The working premise is that the vast number of students who are continuously detained in these non-credit-bearing courses beyond one year demonstrates the flawed instructional assessment policies and the ineffectiveness of the current curriculum that are not designed to enable success among all categories of students. This study finds that there are at least four assets that students bring with them to the classroom that can direct their learning. It reflects that students have good judgement (discernment), they are self-motivated and enthusiastic (dynamism), and they carry within the desire to understand their position not just in the classroom but in the world (unexplored identity) and most important, students need educational support, mentoring in the classroom, and people (with common goals). The data reflect that students enter college with buoyancy and fervor and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get to credit-bearing courses and further their educational careers. I recommend that curriculum planning for developmental programs must shift from the practice of skill and drill as preparation for test taking to focusing on instructions on the development of these four assets. [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.]