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[quote=Anonymous]Let me propose an alternative that allows for intensity of feeling.

Suppose instead of ranking choices one through twelve, each participant was given a fixed number of points that they could allocate however they wanted to however many schools they were interested in. Let's say everyone gets 100 points, and you could put 100 points on one school or one point on 100 schools. The way the lottery works is that for each school they rank the applicants by points, and take people until all the spots are gone. At a given point level if there are more applicants that spots there is a lottery just among people at that point level. So a super-desirable school might have a lottery that is just people who put down 100 points. A mid-tier school might let in anyone who put down more than 50 points and have  a lottery for those who put down 49. Many schools would admit everyone who put down any points.

If you qualify for more than one school you go to the one you put the most points down for and lose your spot at the other. If you put points down and don't get into a school, those points are lost. At the end, everyone who was shut out will have zero points and there is a second round for them.

What is the practical outcome of such a system? It really, really favors those who have options. If you are IB for a DCPS school that you're fine with, but are interested in a charter, you can put 100 points on that charter. If you've decided if you don't get into your first choice you're going to move or go private, you can put 100 points on your first choice. On the other hand, if your IB school is unacceptable and you can't afford to go private or move, you can't take the risk of getting shut out. You can't put 100 points on any school because the risk is too great.  Since there are people who can put 100 points down, all of the best spots will go to them, you're going to have to settle for maybe a school where 50 points gets you in and maybe a safety school at 30 and a bunch at 5-10.

Such a system would dramatically increase inequality. While this isn't the same thing as giving extra weight to the number one pick, it has many of the same qualities.[/quote]

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