Latino and Black students in advanced math courses grew when Texas districts stopped relying on recommendations and automatically enrolled qualifying students.

In a state that has passed anti-diversity laws and tried to squelch instruction on systemic racism, a new law could open doors for Latino and Black children long shut out of advanced math courses.

Just a handful of states have taken the step Texas did this year. Under a law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools must automatically enroll in an advanced math course sixth graders who score in the top 40% of the math portion of the state standardized test known as STAAR.

Texas school districts can also consider class ranking or a student’s proficiency in fifth grade math coursework to place them in advanced math.

In the Dallas school system, the policy has improved the share of Latino sixth graders enrolled in honors math from one-third to almost 60%, The Dallas Morning News reported for the Education Reporting Collaborative.