The point of the change is to make it more inclusive, by making it easier, so the kids who don't like prepping (or learning) will give it a shot. -which was the point of eliminating vocabulary, formula memorization, and allowing calculators. They want more kids to take the test, so they can make more money.
It's ridiculous that the justification they're using is that they want students to feel better about themselves. "We all got 1600's! We're all smart!"