50 secondary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia participate in PARS: 8 lower secondary schools (Hauptschulen), 10 intermediate secondary schools (Realschulen), 15 upper secondary schools (Gymnasien), 4 comprehensive schools (Gesamtschulen) and 13 special schools (Förderschulen). The participating schools are listed here.

The core element of PARS is an annual longitudinal survey of students in two cohorts over three years (grade 5-7 and grade 9-11). At the end of 2009, 2010 and 2011 about 25 students per cohort and per school fill out a questionnaire (see ‘Main aspects of the PARS questionnaire’) and participate in an assessment. By courtesy of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) the test instruments developed for this study may also be used within PARS. As NEPS does not provide test instruments for special schools Sabrina Müller (scholarship holder of the Research School) developed an appropriate assessment in association with Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Moser-Opitz (University of Zurich) and the PARS team at the IFS. One special school decided to participate as a regular school using the NEPS instruments. At the first time of measurement in November / December 2009 test instruments consisted of reading, mathematics and computer knowledge in 5^th grade and reading, mathematics and science in 9^th grade. In special schools only competences in mathematics and reading were assessed. Additionally a cognitive abilities test (CAT) was used at all participating schools.

Beside the student questionnaire further questionnaires for parents, teachers, principals and other pedagogical staff were developed. The purpose of the parents-survey is to provide further knowledge about the background of the students’ families. Principals, teachers and other pedagogical staff are consulted by an online-query to get information about the attitude of principals and teachers and to investigate background and teaching-characteristics of schools. Both, the parents-questionnaire and the school staff-questionnaire will take place in spring 2010. To capture development and changes in attitude, a second teacher-query will be conducted in winter 2010/11.

From autumn 2011 on PARS students who leave school after 10^th grade to start a vocational training will be surveyed in an additional longitudinal study.