The English language skills needed by bilingual high school students, particularly Spanish speaking students with limited English ability, are considered. Secondary level bilingual students' needs differ from those of elementary school bilingual students because of the diversity of student backgrounds, variety of curricular demands, and diversity of future language skill needs among secondary students. Two studies of the language skills of Spanish speaking high school students are summarized. These studies show that linguistic competence can be differentiated from communicative competence, both theoretically and in terms of other criterion variables describing actual language use and school achievement. The findings suggest a need for further research into the nature of skills transfer across languages, effective teaching strategies, and relationships between language skills and achievement. (Author/RW)