The open admissions policy of community colleges means that there is a wide range of students who arrive prepared and unprepared and for different intentions. Based on interviews with developmental education instructors, this report examines the conception these instructors have of their students and their awareness of the factors that impact students’ academic performance. Given students’ heterogeneity and range of readiness, the authors identify five different kinds of developmental education students and offer recommendations to institutions for more differentiated services to address the varied needs of these students.