Sixteen months into a rancorous labor dispute, the state and public school teachers union appear to be making progress toward a contract that would begin July 1.

Hawaii State Teachers Association President Wil Okabe described negotiations Wednesday as the "most productive in months."

The teachers’ "work to rule" protests that took place around the state for a third day Thursday have "helped make progress in negotiations possible," he said.

In talks Wednesday the state gave the union a 2013-15 contract offer to consider, details of which were not released. The parties are tentatively scheduled to resume negotiations Monday.

Board of Education Chairman Don Horner also described the talks as "productive," saying the bargaining committees met for several hours Wednesday and "we agreed to continue the dialogue."

Still, no one is claiming victory yet — far from it — and teachers participating in the protests continue to express their frustration about the lack of a labor agreement.

In a statement Thursday, Okabe did say a key "point of discussion" in the contract talks is a revamped evaluation system that would rate teachers, in part, on the academic growth of their students.

"Our goal is to establish a system that is fair, valid and reliable, for the teachers and the students," he said. "This is especially critical if a teacher’s livelihood will be dependent on such an evaluation system."

Whether the statements could signal a fundamental rift on what a new evaluation system should look like is unclear, though the union has long opposed the Department of Education’s plan to use standardized test scores as part of the rating system.

The evaluation system itself is not negotiated, but the consequences for a poor rating and the rewards for a good one must be negotiated.

The state is experimenting with new evaluations for teachers and schools, and by next school year plans to take the system statewide. Ratings would officially be tied to actions in the 2014-15 school year.

Hundreds of teachers from some 85 schools statewide participated in the protests Thursday, holding signs along roadways before and after school.

It was the third day in three weeks that they have "worked to the rule," that is, worked only the seven hours (from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) required under contract.

The department has said that under the terms of their imposed contract offer, teachers must not only work contracted hours, but, as part of their professional obligations, devote time outside school hours to prepare for instruction and participate in a "reasonable amount of school-related activities."

As part of the protests, teachers gather on sidewalks to wave signs instead of supervising student clubs, participating in parent-teacher conferences or conducting myriad other activities.

About 40 teachers waved signs in front of Roosevelt High on Thursday and got plenty of support with friendly honks from passing drivers.

Ka‘eo Vasconcellos, a social studies teacher at Roosevelt, said the protests have given teachers an opportunity to make their voices heard.

"We kind of felt a little hopeless," he said. "This is a way we could do something."

He said teachers’ feelings about the contract talks appear to be "mixed," with some optimistic a deal will be struck and others expecting that these negotiations, too, will be a failure.

The labor dispute with teachers began July 1, 2011, when the state unilaterally implemented a "last, best and final" contract offer with wage reductions and higher medical premiums.

Corey Rosenlee, a Campbell High teacher and one of the protest organizers, said the campaign is about raising awareness that "teachers do so much beyond the workday."

He said the first major step is reaching a contract deal.

But he is also hopeful that the momentum gained with the protests will help spur a thoughtful discussion about education in general in Hawaii.