Adopting a constructivist perspective of adolescent development, we argue adolescents' perceptions of "being known" reflect teachers' authentic recognition of adolescents' multiple emerging identities. As such, adolescent perceptions of being known are a distinct factor associated with high school students' engagement in school. A mixed method approach (Phase 1 focus groups, N = 72, Phase 2 cross sectional survey, N = 890) guided the development and testing of an Adolescent Perception of Being Known Scale (A-PBKS). Here, we report on item development, item performance, convergent, divergent, and predictive validity as well as measurement invariance. We conclude the paper by outlining the promise research studying instructional moves through a developmental lens has for understanding teaching and learning in urban high schools. (Contains 8 tables and 1 footnote.)