I have been a teacher in Texas for 2 years, and have been actively seeking employment since May after having a temporary, non-renewal contract with a school district last year (I was hired because of high enrollment).
As you may know, there is a Teacher Evaluation System called PDAS that is used to evaluate how a teacher is doing and address any issues or take legal action. I received the highest rating on my PDAS for this year with this school district, which is Exceeds Expectataions, and got a numerical rating of 45 out of 50. This is a great PDAS. I was never disciplined, etc.
Well, I was beginning to think I had the plague because no other school district, including the one I was at before, would give me a job. I would go for an interview, the principal would be excited and enthusiastic, and then call me back two days later, with a different tone of voice, letting me know they went in a different direction and I did not get the job.
It turns out that I was able to get a principal from a school I just interviewed with last week to tell me that this school district I was at is giving me a negative reference. After I sent him a copy of my PDAS, this principal was baffled and said he didn't understand why I was getting this kind of reference. This former principal of mine gave specific examples to this principal, stating that I had discipline problems with children and did not get along well with others. This is absolutely not true. Besides this, I worked at another school district that is singing my praises and gives me an awesome reference, in fact, they want me to come back and work for them for the next year.
This principal is blacklisting me. I am a good teacher and have never been disciplined. This principal never told me I was doing anything wrong. If I had been disciplined, I would have had paperwork in my file that I signed - there are procedures for disciplining teachers, and the PDAS evaluation is the main way you do this.
I have never been through something so frustruating and demeaning. What this principal is saying is untrue and hurtful. I have even tried to get jobs outside of the teaching field and I have had no luck. I asked this principal at the end of the year if I could use him as a reference, and he said yes very enthusiastically and I have been putting him on all of my applications.
I have student loans to pay and bills, and this is putting me in a huge bind. Not to mention reflects negatively on my teaching abilities.
Thanks for your help,
A Teacher in Texas

I'd suggest seeing if you can find someone else at that school who will give you a reference or submitting your PDAS upfront, before a reference check takes place.

You can certainly consult with a local attorney. Employers do enjoy some qualified immunity from slander and libel laws when providing references. They are also allowed to express opinions. "I wasn't happy with how Jane handled the Johnson account" is not actionable even if both Jane and the Johnson company thought Jane did an outstanding job on the account. It's his opinion.

You'd need to discuss the specifics of what this principal is saying with an attorney to see if you have any recourse.

Not everything can be addressed in an evaluation, no matter what kind. Nor is everything that might be asked about in a future reference going to be covered in write ups. A lot of times it depends what questions are asked. I might think someone hung the moon as far as technical skills go, but if asked about interpersonal relationships at work, it could be a different story. As long as it is his opinion and he isn't telling outright lies, it is legal.

Lie: "Cabg was fired for fighting with another teacher". Opinion: "Cabg did not always exhibit the best interpersonal skills in dealing with other staff members".

Now that you know it is an issue, you can easily get around it. Ask someone else to be your reference or submit your reviews ahead of time. You might also give your potential employer a heads up that your last principal has a different view of your work than you had been lead to believe.

The thing that is so upsetting is the PDAS evaluation covers practically everything - it is 8 pages long. I was told by this other principal that he was told that he had a problem was with how I disciplined and also how I got along with my colleages.

On my PDAS evaluation, when it asked how I handled discipline, he gave me a total of 30 points out of a possible 40, which leaves me a very high ranking, and commented that I was very well prepared and handled discipline well, and that his only complaint was that toward the end of the lesson the students were calling out answers more than he thought was appropriate. He never gave me a rating of Below Expections or Unsatisfactory (he checked either Exceeds Expectations or Proficient - both are what you would want to get).

On the part about how I got along with my fellow colleages, he gave me 30 points out of a possible 30 points (the highest possible) and then added comments that all of my interactions were courteous and supportive.
Why would he put one thing on my evaluation, and say something completely different (and very false) on a reference??? The thing is, I never got reprimanded. If a teacher gets reprimanded, there is paperwork to be signed and put in the teacher's file. I was told this by the Texas Education Agency. The PDAS was put into place to deal with problem teachers.

It still doesn't change the fact that he shared his opinions. Share a copy of your PDAS up front, or provide the name and contact info of your cooperating teacher, department chair or another colleague that can be a reference for you.

Besides, it sounds like this other disctrict wants to hire you back so it is a non-issue. Chalk it up to a bad experience and move forward.