The Branching Minds 'Secret Menu'…Bite-Sized Features That Take Work Off Your Plate

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Published on

November 1, 2023

Last updated

June 26, 2025

Don’t you love a secret menu? Whether it's the Animal-Style Burger or the Butterbeer Blizzard, insiders know how to get the best out of their order. At Branching Minds, we don't really serve a secret menu, but we have created lots of delightful little features that help educators get their work done. We asked our customers to share the lesser-known features of Branching Minds that make their lives easier, and they served up a host of fan-favorites!

Asset 1

TRIPLE DOTS

It's SO easy to edit everything in BRM with those three dots! From staff associations to tags to plans and progress monitors, it's always easy to fix something quickly or edit a mistake (and I make plenty)! Thank you BRM for making things so easy for our users!

- Denise Griffin, Coordinator of Student Support Services, Conroe ISD, TX

Asset 3

THE NOTES BOX

“Helps to keep track of the little details that might otherwise get lost in the shuffle.”

- Keri Davis-Weaver, School Psychologist, Johnsburg School District 12, IL

Asset 4

THE EWI REPORT

“It allows me to quickly identify students who are at risk and implement support ASAP!”

- Tandis Pourbastani, School Social Worker, Leman Academy of Excellence, AZ

Asset 9

FILTERS

Asset 22 “Using the filter feature allows me to view and track the conferences I've completed with only my TEAM advisory students. Currently, this is my favorite feature.”

- Courtney Spreitzer, English Teacher, Grant Community High School, IL

Asset 5

LIVE CHAT

“It is organized, easy to use and very extensive. I love that everything is in one place! Emily is so prompt and helpful!”

- Nikki Romano, Interventionist, Chicago Public Schools, IL

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COPY/SELECT ALL

“Branching Minds is the tool that we needed to help our Tier 2 and Tier 3 students be successful! Every district needs it to close the achievement gap!”

- Abraham Leal, Interventionist, Garland ISD, TX

Asset 7

TO-DO LIST

Asset 16 “The "To-Do List" is my favorite because it's that great little reminder on updating student progress on those days that are crazy. It also keeps me accountable on making sure I'm implementing effective interventions.”

- Diane Chan, Interventionist, Chicago Public Schools, IL

FAMILY COMMUNICATION LOG

Asset 17 “It's fast and easy to document all communication for everyone to see immediately!!”

- Julizara Kurtovic, MTSS Lead/Interventionist, Chicago Public Schools, IL

FORMS/MAIL-MERGE

“Being able to house required forms into BRM and having all staff be able to go to ONE place on the platform for forms they need is wonderful. This ensures consistency and helps us effectively communicate with our community (staff, parents, etc).”

- Karina Flores, MTSS Specialist, Waukegan Public Schools #60, IL

Asset 10

INSIGHT SURVEY

"Tells me exactly what I need to gather specific information and then tells me how that affects the student."

- Joanna Felsenstein, MTSS Lead/Interventionist, Chicago Public Schools, IL

Asset 11

IMPLEMENTATION HEALTH REPORT

Asset 21 “This feature provides me with insight on where each of our schools are with overall user engagement, support plans, todo's, and goals!”

- Tiffany Studivant, District MTSS Specialist, Clarke County School District, GA

Asset 12

GROUP PLANS

“Although it is a simple feature it is a helpful one! I really like the way that I can create groups of students. For our population it has helped me organize myself much better.”

- Jeannette Perez, School Counselor, Chicago Public Schools (15), IL

Asset 13

GROUP PROGRESS GRAPH

Asset 20 “I especially love seeing the group graph where all students are on one graph together. It helps us to see if there is an outlier who is struggling amongst students all receiving the same intervention.”

- Angela Papa, School-Level MTSS Lead, Chicago Public Schools, IL

Asset 14

NEW TIER AUTOMATION

Asset 23 “The new tier automation is such a great feature! It has saved so much time and stress when it came to tiering our kiddos. It helped to have one less thing to think about. Thank you.”

- Amy Castillo, Academic Coordinator, South San Antonio ISD, TX

What can we say? Educators get really excited when you make their lives easier. Make sure to check out the downloadable PDF of this "secret menu" below. Bon Appetit!

>> Download the BRM Secret Menu and try out a “new” feature!

Don’t have the Branching Minds platform yet? Request a demo today and see why our customers love it:

About the author

Trudy Bender

Trudy Bender is the Sr. Manager of Thought Leadership Content at Branching Minds. She has extensive experience as a teacher, school psychologist, and district administrator. She previously served as the Coordinator of District Behavior Intervention for Waco ISD, where she led the district in reducing exclusionary discipline practices and disproportionality. She facilitated the implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavior, including initiatives to improve school climate and universal behavior supports, provide effective Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavior intervention programs, and improve wraparound supports and transition services for students in disciplinary placements. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist.