Paddling Versus ACT Scores - A Retrospective Analysis

Recently released figures show that students in states that allow disciplinary paddling continue to be dramatically outperformed by their un-spanked peers on the A.C.T., a key college readiness test.

The 2010 report from ACT.ORG shows that 86% of U.S. States showed some improvement on their ACT scores between 1994 and 2010, but there were significant differences in student performance between school systems that paddle, and those who didn’t.

Three-quarters of thirty non-paddling states posted 2010 scores above the national average, and nearly two-thirds of these states had above average rates of improvement over the prior eighteen years.

By contrast, 75% of spanking states scored below average on the ACT composite, and half had improvement rates that fell short of the national trend. As a group, students in the ten states that paddled the most had the worst test results and showed the least improvement in their scores over the previous eighteen years. Ninety percent of heavy-paddling states had below average ACT scores, and seven of the ten worst scores were from the heaviest paddling school systems in the country.

Among paddling states those that paddled less generally fared better. This group includes three states that reported no paddling incidents at all, even though spanking was allowed by law. Rates of improvement in the infrequent paddling states were four times higher than those of states that paddled more often, and four of the five paddling states posting above average composite ACT scores were from the states that used paddling least. Among these was North Carolina -- the ONLY paddling state in America to score among the top ten in improvement. Still, most of the infrequent paddling states posted below average composite test scores. Overall, fifteen of twenty paddling states scored below average, and nine of the ten lowest scores were from paddling states.

Long Term Trends Comparison of State Composite ACT Score Changes from 1994 to 2010 Relative To School Paddling
Measurement (ACT State Composite Scores)	All States	Paddling States	Non- Paddling States	Ten paddling states that paddle the least	Ten paddling states that paddle the most	States With Educator Immunity	ten states that have banned paddling longest	Ten most recent states to ban paddling
% of States Improved	86% (43 of 50)	85% (17 of 20)	87% (26 of 30)	90% (9 of 10)	90% (9 of 10)	100% (7 of 7)	90% (9 of 10)	90% (9 of 10)
% Improvement (Average)	2.76%	1%	3.87%	4.1%	1%	1.37%	5.2%	2.98%
% of States Declined	14% (7 of 50)	15% (3 of 20)	13% (4 of 30)	10% (1 of 10)	20% (2 of 20)	0%	10% (1 of 10)	10% (1 of 10)
% Decline (in states that declined)	-3.86%	-4.23%	-3.58%	-3.48%	-4.61%	NA	-1.82%	-1.9%
% Improvement (Average) Excluding seven states with declining scores	4.24%	3.55%	4.7%	4.9%	1.98%	2.05%	7.75%	3.52%
States With Improvement Above Nat’l Avg	58% (29 of 50)	50% (10 of 20)	63% (19 of 30)	80% (8 of 10)	20% (2 of 10)	42% (3 of 7)	80% (8 of 10)	60% (6 of 10)
States With Improvement Below Nat’l Avg	42% (21 of 50)	50% (10 of 20)	36% (11 of 30)	20% (2 of 10)	80% (8 of 10)	57% (4 of 7)	20% (2 of 10)	40% (4 of 10)
Average 2010 ACT Composite Score	21.54	20.58	22.24	20.81	20.24	20.45	22.93	21.87
States With Above Average2010 ACT Composite	56% (28 of 50)	25% (5 of 20)	77% (23 of 30)	40% (4 of 10)	10% (1 of 10)	14% (1 of 7)	100% (10 of 10)	70% (7 of 10)
States With Below Average 2010 ACT Composite	38% (19 of 50)	75% (15 of 20)	13% (4 of 30)	60% (6 of 10)	90% (9 of 10)	86% (6 of 7)	0% (0 of 10)	20% (2 of 10)

Corporal punishment data obtained from the U.S. Dept. of Education Office of Civil Rights 2006-2007  
( Most Recent Data Available)
ACT Scores obtained from ACT.ORG

ACT Composite Scores for States Forbidding Corporal Punishment
No non-paddling states have teacher immunity

State	Year Paddling Banned	2010 Composite ACT Score	2008 Composite ACT Score	1994 Composite ACT Score	Percentage Change 2008-2010	Percentage Change Since 1994
New Jersey	1867	23.2	22.7	20.9	+2.2%	+11%
Massachusetts	1971	24	23.6	21.5	+1.68%	+11.63%
Hawaii	1973	21.6	21.6	22.0	+0%	-1.82%
Maine	1975	23.2	22.7	21.6	+2.2%	+7.41%
Rhode Island	1977	22.8	21.9	20.7	+4.11%	+10.14%
New Hampshire	1983	23.7	23.1	22.0	+2.6%	+7.73%
New York	1985	23.3	23.1	21.6	+.87%	+7.87%
Vermont	1985	23.2	22.7	21.5	+2.2%	+7.91%
California	1986	22.2	22.2	21.1	0%	+5.21%
Wisconsin	1988	22.1	22.3	21.9	-.9%	+.9%
Nebraska	1988	22.1	22.1	21.3	0%	+3.76%
Alaska	1989	21.1	21.2	20.9	-.47%	+1%
Connecticut	1989	23.7	23.3	22.1	+1.72%	+7.24%
Iowa	1989	22.2	22.4	21.9	-.89%	+1.37%
Michigan	1989	19.7	19.6	21.0	+.5%	-6.19%
Minnesota	1989	22.9	22.6	21.8	+1.33%	+5.05%
North Dakota	1989	21.5	21.6	21.2	-.46%	+1.42%
Oregon	1989	21.5	21.2	22.5	+1.42%	-4.44%
Virginia	1989	22.3	21.8	21.3	+2.29%	+4.69%
South Dakota	1990	21.8	22.0	21.1	-.91%	+3.32%
Montana	1991	22.0	22.0	21.8	0%	+.92%
Utah	1992	21.8	21.8	21.3	0%	+2.35%
Illinois	1993	20.7	20.7	21.1	0%	-1.9%
Maryland	1993	22.3	22.0	20.7	+1.36%	+7.73%
Nevada	1993	21.5	21.3	21.2	+.94%	+1.42%
Washington	1993	23	23.1	22.3	-.43%	+3.14%
West Virginia	1994	20.7	20.7	19.9	0%	+4.02%
Delaware	2003	23	22.6	21.9	+1.77%	+5.02%
Pennsylvania	2005	21.9	22.1	21.0	-.9%	+4.29%
Ohio	2009	21.8	21.7	21.2	+.46%	+2.83%

ACT Composite Scores for States Allowing Corporal Punishment
Highlighted States Also Have Immunity

State	% of Students Paddled	2010 Composite ACT Score	2008 Composite ACT Score	1994 Composite ACT Score	Percentage Change 2008-2010	Percentage Change Since 1994
Mississippi	7.5	18.8	18.9	18.7	-.5%	+.5%
Arkansas	4.7	20.3	20.6	20.1	-1.46%	+1%
Alabama	4.5	20.3	20.4	19.9	-.5%	+2%
Oklahoma	2.3	20.7	20.7	20.3	0%	+1.97%
Louisiana	1.7	20.1	20.3	19.4	-1%	+3.6%
Tennessee	1.5	19.6	20.7	20.2	-5.31%	-2.97%
Texas	1.1	20.8	20.7	20.2	+.5%	+2.97%
Georgia	1.1	20.7	20.6	20.3	+.5%	+1.97%
Missouri	.6	21.6	21.6	21.2	0%	+1.89%
Florida	.3	19.5	19.8	20.8	-1.52%	-6.25%
Kentucky	.3	19.4	20.9	20.1	-7.18%	-3.48%
North Carolina	.2	21.9	21.3	19.4	+2.82%	+12.89%
New Mexico	.2	20.1	20.3	20.0	-1%	+.5%
South Carolina	.2	20	19.9	19.1	+.5%	+4.71%
Indiana	.05	22.3	22.0	21.2	+1.36%	+5.19%
Idaho	.04	21.8	21.5	21.2	+1.4%	+2.83%
Kansas	.01	22	22	21.2	0%	+3.77%
Arizona	0.0	20	21.9	21.1	-8.68%	+5.21%
Colorado	0.0	20.6	20.5	21.4	+.5%	+3.74%
Wyoming	0	20.0	22.1	21.2	-9.5%	+5.66%

 

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