ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota's legislative auditor says the state's schools are spending a lot of time and money taking standardized tests without a clear payoff.

The nonpartisan auditor's report Monday listed several ways the state could improve what it called a lengthy and cumbersome process. The report said the state should look more closely at the impact of the tests and set clearer guidelines for whether they're effective.
But the report notes that some past attempts by lawmakers to improve testing haven't worked.

One auditor's recommendation is for lawmakers to repeal a law requiring the Minnesota Department of Education to give a career and college readiness score to elementary and middle school students. The report says those scores look so far into the future that they provide little insight into a student's progress.

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