Starfish - Supporting Faculty

Starfish at a Glance

Faculty are encouraged to inform students at the beginning of the semester that Starfish notifications may be raised to make them aware of their progress in class, connect them to resources, and/or to report concerns.

Starfish Kudos are a great way to let students know they are doing well by raising “Keep Up the Good Work.”

Students will be notified when most Starfish notifications are raised, but will NOT see professor’s comments (raise a Student Advocate Referral for very sensitive or discrete concerns and indicate if you have discussed the concern with the student).

The majority of Starfish flags and referrals are used to help students receive support and are not punitive.

The main support offices that will follow up on Starfish notifications are Undergraduate Advising, the Student Success Center, the Student Advocate and Care Coordinator, and the Learning/Access Center for students with an accommodations letter.

For urgent situations that require immediate attention, please call Campus Safety: 718.636.3540.

Starfish comments are FERPA disclosable; any comments should be fact‑based only.

Support offices may not be able to share details regarding outreach to students due to privacy (FERPA and HIPAA) concerns.

If your Starfish does not open, please consider refreshing the screen, using Google Chrome, resetting your browser, and clearing your cache/cookies.

Hundreds of students at Pratt have been connected to support and resources as the result of Starfish flags and referrals!

Faculty Starfish Features

These features are available to instructors actively teaching a course at Pratt:

• Raise flags and referrals to inform students of their progress, connect them to resources, and/or raise concerns.

• Track attendance.

• Set up office hours so students can schedule appointments.

Flags & Referrals

Faculty and staff can search for students and raise alerts (flags or referrals) at any time during the semester. Appropriate offices will receive emails when certain flags are raised so they can reach out to the student and offer support.

Chairs and Assistant Chairs can see academic flags raised for students in their major.

Students will receive an email when a flag is raised, but they will NOT see professor comments.

Further Instructions and Contact

For detailed instructions on how to use Starfish (raise flags/referrals, complete progress surveys, schedule office hours, take attendance, best practices, and more), please see the comprehensive Starfish Faculty Guide.

Questions? Email: starfish@pratt.edu