Talks aimed at ending the industrial dispute by secondary-teacher unions about junior-cycle reform have been adjourned until Monday.

The discussions between Department of Education officials and the two unions representing secondary teachers lasted for almost eight hours on Thursday.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) have held two one-day strikes over the plan for teachers to assess their own students as part of the new Junior Cycle Student Award (JCSA).

Further strike action has been threatened and teachers are refusing to cooperate with the roll-out of the new curriculum, including planned short courses, until agreement is reached.

Sources on both sides indicated that the meeting was constructive – under the chairmanship of Dr Pauric Travers – but key points of conflict have yet to be resolved.

One possible compromise which has been mooted is that teachers would assess their own students in the skills and competencies that are emphasised in the new junior-cycle programme but that these assessments would not form part of the JCSA.

The unions have pointed to a proposal, arising from a 2011 report of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, for teachers to fill out detailed report cards, giving parents much more information about their children’s learning process at second level.

But department officials believe that if school-based assessment is kept entirely “off book” for State certification purposes it will be treated as an optional extra by schools and the focus will remain on teaching to the test.

The unions are also looking for extra resources for schools to ensure any reforms are properly supported.