Is the New SAT Really News?

The recent announcement by David Coleman of the College Board drew all kinds of attention to the SAT test, one of two standardized tests taken by students bound for colleges and universities across the country.  Even though Coleman said that the test was being re-designed to correlate with the Common Core Standards, and make the test more accessible to students from all socio-economic levels, one can't help but feel that he wants to re-gain the market share lost to the ACT which was taken by more students nationwide last year than the SAT.
In truth, my feeling is that the best way for colleges to know how successful students will be when they get to college is by looking at the way they perform in high school, thus their grades or GPA.  Standardized tests are a "snap-shot" of a student's performance - one day in the life of a student. That being said, and even though there are over 850 test-optional schools in the country (check out www.fairtest.org) there are still schools that require standardized testing, so you still need to take them to keep your options open.
So how will the SAT change in the Fall of 2016 - for our current Freshmen?
-elimination of obscure vocabulary words
-free on-line test prep materials through Khan Academy
-aligning the test to coincide with what students are learning in school (like the ACT)
-elimination of penalties for wrong answers (like the ACT) which in turn eliminates a lot of test anxiety
-making the writing section optional
-changes in math area: focus on "Problem Solving and Data Analysis," "the Heart of Algebra," and "Passport to Advanced Math."

My strong suggestions are to continue to plug away and do your best in school because that is the strongest thing to show them.  Read even if it is your favorite magazines or newspapers, write even if it a blog or the sports section of the school newspaper (find the version of these things that you love and dive in)!
Spend time doing your schoolwork to the best of your ability and the tests you take will hopefully show that you have done so! Find who you are, what you are passionate about and enjoy being that person throughout high school - your colleges will value that when you are applying!